Dina Jacobs is a Hawaiian-born transgender showgirl, singer, female impersonator and legendary drag performer
whose career has spanned more than six decades. Known as Houston’s Grande Dame of Drag, she has performed across
the United States, appeared at the legendary Baton Show Lounge in Chicago and accumulated an impressive
collection of beauty pageant titles. Her extraordinary life and career are chronicled in the 2020 biography
Forever Her Mother's Son: The Dina Jacobs Story, written by Dr. Larry Dwayne Ponder. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii,
Dina began her entertainment career in February 1964, while still in high school. Her first professional
engagement came at a Waikiki club called The Clouds, where she initially worked as an emcee and singer. Unlike
many performers of the era, she sang live, accompanied by musicians, rather than relying on lip-syncing. In
1970, she left Hawaii to pursue opportunities on the American mainland, performing in California before
continuing her journey through Minneapolis and Chicago. In Chicago, Dina joined the celebrated Baton Show
Lounge, where her vocal abilities made her stand out among the performers. She subsequently worked in Atlanta
and travelled extensively, entertaining audiences throughout the United States, Canada and South America,
including a memorable six-month engagement in Brazil. Her career also took her to Florida and Texas, where she
eventually settled in Houston.
Alongside her performing career, Dina became a celebrated beauty pageant competitor, participating in more than
80 competitions and winning approximately 70 titles. Among her achievements were Miss Gay USA in 1981 and Miss
Universal Showqueen in 1990. She continued competing even in her seventies, demonstrating that her passion for
the stage had never diminished. Dina began her gender transition at the age of 30, having spent years performing
and living within the drag community. Her journey also involved overcoming the discrimination and hostility
experienced by transgender women and gender-nonconforming performers during the 1960s and 1970s. In Hawaii,
performers were sometimes required by police to wear badges identifying them as boys when walking in public
dressed as women. Dina also became involved in supporting the LGBTQ community, participating in fundraising
events for HIV/AIDS and cancer charities and supporting organisations such as AID Atlanta during its early
development. In 2025, her remarkable contribution to Houston's entertainment scene received further recognition
when the Houston Press named her Best Drag Performer in its Best of Houston awards.
Monika: Dina, welcome! You look fantastic. What is the secret of your beauty?
Dina: Actually, I'm very fortunate. My Mom and Dad had great DNA. This year in February I turned 73 years old.
I've been doing shows since 1964. I started my career in Honolulu, Hawaii, and I worked as a female impersonator
for 56 years!
Monika: The Clouds in Honolulu was a gay bar where all artists performed live, and that is where your career
began. Do you remember your first show, your dress, or the reaction of the audience?
Dina: During my first show I sang live and I did emceeing. It was also the first time my Mom ever saw me as a
woman. Back then we didn't have any pantomime, so you either danced or you sang. We had a three-piece orchestra
all the time. That is how it was in 1964 and it continued until I left in 1970.
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| Courtesy of Dina Jacobs. |
Monika: Tell me about your mother's reaction when she saw you on stage dressed as a woman. Was she surprised?
Dina: I think my Mom was surprised that I looked halfway decent, but the first time she saw me, I had already
left home. To be quite honest, I had run away. Actually, it was more than her, because my two sisters came to
see me, too. Anyway, it was shocking to see my Mom there, so I left the club.
Monika: Then you moved to California. Did you not want to stay in Honolulu?
Dina: After my career started in 1970, we were asked to do a show in Los Angeles, and I wanted to see what it
was like outside of Hawaii. I liked living on the mainland, where it just seemed like there was more to do. So I
decided to stay. I often go back home to Hawaii and visit my family. They're all there.
Monika: And how did things begin for you in Los Angeles?
Dina: In Los Angeles, my first job was doing a show at the Redwood Room. It was a small, intimate club, and the
people there were just really, really appreciative of what we were doing.
Monika: I imagine the trans community in Los Angeles was much bigger than the one in Honolulu.
Dina: Well, the trans community in Hawaii was much bigger and much closer than any other I've seen since! The
Hawaiian queens were also a close-knit group. We all supported each other.
Monika: Hormones must have been hard to get at that time. Having so many trans sisters around probably helped.
Dina: Actually, hardly anyone back in the '60s knew about hormones. We just did drag. You need to realize there
was no way of finding information on becoming a woman.
Monika: What was everyday life like outside the shows?
Dina: Back then, we had to hide most of our time. Except for the shows, we had to hide our daytime drag. So if
you passed as a woman it was fine, but you couldn't walk around looking half and half. They would not like that,
and the police would take action and arrest you.
Monika: It must have been hell for the girls who did not pass. Were cosmetic operations an option?
Dina: Yes, but it was very expensive back then. In addition, there were not too many doctors who would actually
do that. Our job opportunities were limited to just drag shows. Back in the sixties and seventies, nobody would
hire you if you were gay or transgender. Basically, they were afraid of all the problems that it would entail.
Monika: Preparing for a show takes a lot of work. Did anyone help you with dresses, hairstyles, and makeup?
Dina: When I first started, it was really hard because I didn't know anything about makeup. I lived with six
other queens. We all shared wigs and makeup tips, and that's how I really learned everything. They taught me my
professional creativity, too.
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| Courtesy of Dina Jacobs. |
Monika: Who was your inspiration in fashion and in music?
Dina: Actually, my fashion sense came from magazines. I wasn't looking at the pictures; I was looking at the
clothing, how it was made, and how it all matched.
As far as music is concerned, I loved women such as Sarah Vaughan or Nancy Wilson, who could really sing. Their
voices were seasoned the older they got, and I really appreciated that.
Monika: California was only one stop before you landed in Chicago. How did you find the job at the Baton?
Dina: After spending six months in California, I went back to Hawaii, and then I got a job in Minneapolis. We
traveled to Canada, then back to California, and then we went to Chicago, where my girlfriend, who worked with
us in Hawaii, told me about the show at the Baton. She asked me to audition because there was an opening there.
So I turned up there and the next week I got the job!
Monika: What made you stand out among the other performers?
Dina: You have to understand that at that time there were no live singers. I was able to sing, so in Chicago, I
was the only real singer! In other words, I was a novelty act because I could sing!
Monika: And how did the other Baton girls welcome you?
Dina: The Baton girls were wonderfully accepting. Being from Hawaii, I got along with all of them, every single
one. It was a very tight-knit show, and I got along with the owner, Jim Flint.
Monika: You have already mentioned singing skills. How were the girls selected at the Baton?
Dina: Well, I can only answer for how I was selected because when I came in at the store, the show had already
started in 1969. So I really don't know how they were selected, but the Baton had some incredibly talented
girls, among them Audrey Bryan, Peaches, and Lady Baronessa (Miss Gay America 1974).
Monika: Stories say the Baton girls were so talented and beautiful that they received many marriage proposals
from the audience. Did you get any?
Dina: Oh no, girl, that's funny, no, I got no proposals. I had a boyfriend but I got no proposal, and I don't
know of any other of the girls. I think that's a myth.
Monika: Have you ever been married?
Dina: No, Sweetie, I have never ever even thought of it. I don't want nobody to hold me down.
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| Courtesy of Dina Jacobs. |
Monika: Not even a dream of being a beautiful bride?
Dina: No, Sweetheart. I'm very content and happy with my life. At one point, when I was younger, I thought that
I would have loved to be involved in a marriage, but I've faced so many trials and tribulations of my own that I
don't think anybody could be part of what I've been through.
I really enjoy the state of living my life alone. I have a lot of friends and family that are always there to
support me, and that is my marriage.
Monika: Where did your drag career take you after the Baton?
Dina: Atlanta came calling! I worked there, then I traveled all over the world performing in South America,
mostly in Canada, and eventually, I got here in Texas. I am immeasurably blessed, and I am happy about the fact
that I can still maintain relevance as to what I do.
Monika: Which show outside the US stays with you the most?
Dina: I would have to say São Paulo. We worked at Club Medieval. It was an incredible experience; every night it
was packed, and that's where I met my boyfriend Jose. Nothing really ever came out of it except it was just a
South American fling, I guess you call it. By the way, did you purchase my book?
Monika: I have to admit I did not. Would you recommend it?
Dina: Well, it's honest. There's no way I would have been unreal about anything about my life. I've always been
an open book to everybody; I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of.
Monika: Who do you hope will get the most out of reading it?
Dina: I think it's a good read, and it lets you know, especially people that are going through their own
transitions, what we went through back in the day, so we could make it easier for most of the people in America
who cross-dress, who are transsexual, who are transvestite, whatever. Nowadays it's a much easier game for them.
Monika: You began your transition in your thirties. Did you ever regret doing it so late?
Dina: It was my choice to start at 30, I wanted to make sure I had a whole head of hair. I was not going to
transition and have to wear wigs all the time. I just found it to be crazy, and I had to do electrolysis. So I
had to do it right, I mean I wanted it to be possible for me more than for anybody else.
Monika: Were there any transgender role models you could follow when you began your transition?
Dina: Actually, you know, I always felt like leaving my own life and doing my own thing. I didn't want to make
anybody a role model; that would be asking for too much! So I decided to be my own role model.
Monika: Then came Stonewall. What was your reaction when you heard about it?
Dina: In Hawaii, we were fighting way before Stonewall ever happened. We did it for our freedom and for our
rights. When we were walking the streets there, we had to wear badges that said, “I am a boy.” So Stonewall was
basically important for America, but we were already doing this in Hawaii.
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| Courtesy of Dina Jacobs. |
Monika: Was that fight spontaneous, or was there an organization in Honolulu that supported such actions?
Dina: It was pretty much spontaneous. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into, so yeah, there was no
organization.
Monika: Someone counted that you won 70 beauty pageant titles. Do you remember your first pageant, and what
you felt at that time?
Dina: It was a little pageant. It was named Miss Universe, and I was Miss Afro America 1968. I didn't care
anything about being pretty, I just wanted the audience to see my talents at work.
Monika: I guess your first big pageant was Miss Continental, right? You took part in three such pageants in
the 80s.
Dina: Yes, Miss CONTINENTAL was my first big pageant, I ended up 2nd runner up. But in 1981, I took over the
MISS GAY USA! I've entered more than 80 pageants in my career, and I REALLY enjoyed doing PAGEANTS. I'm still at
(73) doing PAGEANTS!
Monika: Amazing! These days it is possible to enter pageants for cis women, though many people criticize it.
Has that ever tempted you?
Dina: If they have one for older QUEENS... LOL
Monika: After many pageants and shows, you left showbiz and returned to Hawaii to rear your siblings'
children. What brought on that change?
Dina: Well, I returned to Hawaii in 1999. Unfortunately, I got deathly ill. Due to the fact that Hawaii has the
best health services, I got well! In 2011, I was invited to Texas and that's where I'm at today.
Monika: Are you still performing live, and where can fans see you?
Dina: Yes, I'm doing live shows in the Country and Western bar. I 💘 it!
Monika: Would you say you are a happy woman now?
Dina: I've pretty much been happy ever since my MOM accepted me as Dina!
Monika: What advice would you give to the transgender girls reading this interview?
Dina: Have HONOR in yourself. And be as TRUE as you possibly can be. YOU CHOSE THIS PATH IN LIFE, SO LIVE IT
HONORABLY ... THANK YOU!
Monika: Dina, thank you very much for this conversation. Your legacy has inspired many girls before, and I am
sure it will continue to do so in the future.
All the photos: courtesy of Dina Jacobs (Facebook).
© 2020 - Monika Kowalska
Dina responded, “I don't want my own club. I don't want that responsibility.” What she thought, but didn't say,
included thoughts about having received such a gesture, should the relationship not work out, where would she be
then? Would I be in a hole? Would he no longer support the club? He then said, “Well, that is your loss.”
For several years, Jerry would show up at the Miss Continental pageants and ask if she needed anything. Jerry once
offered to pay for Dina to have a sex change operation. He said he would take care of whatever she needed. Dina
thought about it but was afraid that the good feelings that she experienced and the feeling she had “down there”
when she was aroused would be gone, and she couldn't imagine not experiencing those sensations.
She decided that how she looked was more important than what was in her underwear. She concluded that a sex-change
operation below the waist was not for her. She did not want it. She felt that she would always be her mother's
son, no matter what was between her legs.
The excerpt from the book: courtesy of Dina Jacobs.
