Heklina

Heklina
Heklina in 2012
Born
Steven Grygelko

(1967-06-17)June 17, 1967
DiedApril 3, 2023(2023-04-03) (aged 55)
London, England
Occupations

Steven Thor Grygelko (June 17, 1967 - April 3, 2023), known professionally as Heklina, was an American and Icelandic actor, drag queen, LGBT rights activist and entrepreneur. Born near Minneapolis, Minnesota to an Icelandic mother, he lived in Iceland for several years in the 1980s, and adopted the name "Heklina" after the Icelandic volcano Hekla. Heklina founded the San Francisco LGBT/drag nightclub and live show Trannyshack in 1996.

I think that drag queens are still the eunuch clown that's safe to laugh at. It's definitively not shocking anymore. So I don't know if America's really embraced it. The early 90s was when RuPaul [was becoming famous] and it was the first time any drag queen had mainstream exposure. I don't really see a drag queen breaking out like that [again].

— Heklina on Feast of Fools in 2006