Kiki Dion Van Wales

Glasses-wearing man smiling beneath a cap

One doesn’t usually equate an average American town of less than 50,000 people with having a large, active LGBTQ+ community. The thing is, Galveston is no average American town, and neither are its citizens or its Drag Queens.

The Island city has a sizeable LGBTQ+ community, with many community activists, none more active than Terry Michael Fuller, also known as Kiki Dion Van Wales when on stage. In addition to his stage presence, Terry serves as CEO of Pride Galveston.

Pride Galveston is a three-day event held on Labor Day Weekend, this year on September 4-6. Events are scheduled on the beach, at Hotel Lucine, and at Robert’s Lafitte.

Terry is also active in a host of other events, pageants, and businesses, as you will see later in this column.
The Montrose Star Spotlight is shining on Terry Michael Fuller, AKA Kiki Dion Van Wales.

Stage name:
My name is Kiki Dion Van Wales.

Your pronoun is?
I don’t do pronouns.

Where is your hometown?
I was born in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles but call Galveston home now.

Describe your feelings from the first time you did drag.
The first time I did drag it was just for fun, one Halloween.

What numbers do you enjoy performing the most? What are your go-to numbers?
I do a lot of songs by Celine Dion and Carrie Underwood, but my go-to numbers are by Pink. Her songs display such confidence in a way that I can relate to and lyrically I love the way she expresses herself in song.

What is the thing you enjoy most about being on stage?
I love the interaction I get with customers and helping them escape their day-to-day duties. I love seeing them let go.

Do you have a pet peeve about being on stage?
I really do not like it when people try to come on stage with me or when I’m performing in an area and they cross over in front of me.

Are there any titles you hold or aspire to achieve?
When it comes to titles, I’ve never really been a pageant person, but I was Miss Robert’s Lafitte for a couple of years during COVID. I own a couple of pageants that I put on annually; Miss Island Goddess and Mr. and Miss Pride Galveston, which we just held last month.

Tell us something about yourself that will surprised people.
I was a Veterinary Technician.

Who are your inspirations, personally and professionally? Why?
Personally, it’s my mom.

Professionally, as I talked about earlier, Pink. She’s larger than life and but said, “Surround yourself with people better than you.”

You always have the prettiest dresses. Do you make your own outfits, buy them or does someone make them for you?
I have a designer here on the Island—Dion Weir. A big shout-out to him!

What do you feel is the most misunderstood thing about drag culture?
I think a big misunderstanding about drag culture is that we all want to be women. I like to go from my day-to-day activities to a different character. It’s like a tilt of my hat to women, an homage if you will, to what women do everyday as opposed to wanting to be a woman.

How has performing in drag changed you?
I was a quiet kid growing up and doing drag has allowed me to find a hidden confidence.

When not on stage, you’re busy being CEO of Pride Galveston. Tell us about that.
Me and my ex-husband started Pride Galveston 12 years ago. After our divorce I became CEO and it’s been a learning curve. It’s a three-day event that begins this weekend, running Friday through Sunday. I’d like to invite everyone to come on down to the Island and join us. I promise you it’ll be fun.

A couple of years ago, you helped get Galveston Pup Weekend off the ground. How’s that going?
That’s going really well. We just completed our third year this year.

You have several other jobs/activities your involved with. Tell us about them.
In addition to Special Events Coordinator at Robert’s Lafitte, the oldest gay bar in Texas, and being CEO of Pride Galveston and Galveston Pup Weekend, and Vice-President of the Galveston chapter of TGRA, I do some bartending, have a cleaning business I started recently called Terry’s Cleaning Service, and most recently assumed the role of Housekeeping Supervisor at Beachfront Palms Resort. Oh, and I’m a free-lance make-up artist.

Do you have spare time and if so what do you do?
I like to hang out on the beach with my boyfriend, garden, and relax at home with my dogs. (He has six dogs.)

Where can we find you on social media?
I’m on Snapchat but mostly on Facebook as Terry Michael Fuller. I also have a FB page as Alpha Kylo – The House of Ren, and Kiki Dion Van Wales.

Where and when can we catch your act?
Being the Special Events Coordinator at Robert’s Lafitte keeps me busy there. Check out our entertainment lineup.

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