Stormie Daie blends performance art, community service and hands-on science education to create joyful, inclusive spaces for all ages
By Lauren Rouse | Photography by John Michael Simpson
Stormie Daie* moves like a force of nature. At The Pinhook, she twirls and twists with the command of a performer fully at home in the spotlight. Offstage, she channels that same confidence into the community, hosting events, welcoming audiences and creating moments that lift people up. As a daughter of the city’s social justice-focused drag family, The House of Coxx, Stormie pairs sequins with sincerity and builds connection wherever she goes.
Stormie’s path into drag and community work is rooted in both science and storytelling. She earned a bachelor’s degree in ecological and environmental science from Elon University, where she began experimenting with drag as a college student. “Drag became a way of me taking the feminine characteristics that society tells me are negative and using them as the strengths that they are,” Stormie says. What started as a creative outlet soon became a way to claim space and visibility as she searched for queer community beyond campus.
Stormie’s Lightning Round
Go-to book for Drag Story Hour
“The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt” by Riel Nason
Science topic you’ll never tire of teaching
The environment and North Carolina science – wetlands, swamps, longleaf pines and Venus flytraps
The song that always gets you on the dance floor
“Green Light” by Beyoncé
Local businesses you love
Anything in the bakery scene, especially Lutra and Loaf
Event you’d host again in a heartbeat
Enofest
Her academic background and early performance experiences eventually intertwined, laying the groundwork for the education forward drag she practices today. That clarity sharpened after she joined The House of Coxx in 2014. The collective set expectations that drag could hold joy and accountability at the same time, prioritizing equity in a scene where performers often went undercompensated and overlooked. “We asked people pronouns, we introduced ourselves with pronouns, and we brought conversations of consent,” Stormie says. The house became a model for what shared responsibility could look like in real time – a framework that Stormie now carries into every space she enters.
Stormie’s influence extends far beyond nightlife – though you can typically find her emceeing weekly events including Music Trivia Bingo at The Velvet Hippo Bar & Lounge and viewing parties for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” at Club Era. She does not separate performance from service; instead, she treats hosting, organizing and entertaining as parts of the same practice. One of the clearest examples is Science with Stormie, a pop-up program she’s presented at the Museum of Life and Science as well as in schools and at local libraries. “Science was always my first love, and my friends really loved when I would talk about it,” Stormie says. She infuses that passion into these learning environments, blending curiosity with play. One lesson uses everyday materials like turmeric and cabbage juice to teach children about indicator solutions, letting color changes reveal the chemistry at work. She recalls a moment at the museum when a young boy, wearing a handmade tie-dye shirt, perfectly recreated its pattern using her solutions. Moments like that define her intentions. “It really is meant to instill a [sense of ] fun and wonder about science,” she says.
Come Rain or Shine
You can expect a forecast packed with energy and joy whenever Stormie is in town, whether she’s hosting a community event in Durham, Raleigh or even in Burlington. Here are just a few recent Bull City events you may have spotted her at:
- Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina Drag Bingo at Motorco Music Hall
- Music Near the Gardens: The Pinhook Edition
- LGBTQ Youth Center of Durham’s Halloween Spooky Teen Party at The Pinhook
- ’90s Drag Show at Boxcar Bar + Arcade
- Common Woman Chorus’ Cabaret Fundraiser at Motorco Music Hall
Stormie also serves as a frequent reader with the Triangle chapter of Drag Story Hour, a national nonprofit dedicated to sharing books with children and families that invite conversation and reflection. One of her favorite titles, “Red: A Crayon’s Story” by Michael Hall, often resonates with adults as much as kids. “The book has a narrative about being assigned something that you’re not,” Stormie says. “It is about a crayon who wants to be good at who he is, but he’s red, and he makes everything blue, and he doesn’t understand why he keeps messing up. It’s just because he’s labeled wrong.”
Stormie challenges the idea that drag must fit into a narrow box. “Drag is a valid art,” she says. “You don’t have to sing, dance or sew to be good at drag.” And, as all good art does, it’s meant to bring people together – that’s always Stormie’s goal, whether she’s facilitating a fundraiser, teaching science or reading to children. Durham has given her room to experiment, learn and keep showing up in ways that feel honest. “I love my city,” Stormie says.
*Stormie is portrayed by Raafe Purnsley (they/he).
