"Brandon Patrick" by Jaclyn Cosgrove

He was raised in a deeply religious Jehovah's Witness household.

When he was born, his parents really liked the name "Shephalah," a name they chose from a Biblical verse in Deuteronomy.

"Get up now, resume your journey, heading for the Amorite hill country,

to all its areas including the arid country, the highlands,

the Shephelah, the Negev, and the coastal plain –

all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River,
that is, the Euphrates."

But his mother thought the name was too feminine and decided to name her son Brandon instead.

Meet Brandon Patrick, a 23-year-old who lives in Tulsa. During the day, Brandon lives his life as a gay man.

But come Friday night, he ditches his life as a man to become his alter ego of sorts.

Initially, her name was Shanae. But then Brandon thought that name didn't really fit her personality.So, he changed her first name to Shanel and flipped through a phone book until he found a last name he liked.

Brandon said he continues to perform in drag shows not only because it's one of his main sources of income but also because it serves as a creative outlet.
"I think by far, out of most of the drag queens in Tulsa and Oklahoma, I think I'm one of the prettiest," he said. "I eat that s--- up. I love that. The attention is fun, too. It's almost like putting on a mask. You can become a different person. I can be a lot more outgoing."
Shanel Sterling had hosted every single Friday night drag show, minus one night, at Club Majestic in Tulsa for three solid years.

But that near perfect attendance was hampered after one awful Sunday night.

On Oct. 18, close to midnight, Brandon left his house in Midtown Tulsa to visit a friend who lived nearby. As he walked through an alley, his usual route, a group of three people, an older woman and two younger adults started yelling homophobic slurs at him.

Brandon has grown used to people calling him names and attempted to ignore the group.

"What are you looking at?" one of the group members asked him.

"I'm not looking at you," he said back.

He continued to walk. He thought the group was going to leave him alone.

But as he rounded a street corner, he saw headlights on a bush nearby. He looked behind him, only to see the Ford Mustang the group had been leaning against.

First, the younger man, who Brandon said was probably about his age, got out of the vehicle and started yelling at Brandon.

Soon, the incident escalated into the three people kicking Brandon, one stabbing him in the head and the knee.

Brandon ran from the group, hiding behind a trash can in this apartment complex.

The first person he called was his boyfriend of 2 1/2 years, Sam.

"Halfway through the phone conversation, I couldn't hear [Sam] because blood was on my phone," Brandon said. "I was just shouting out directions in the area that I was in. He started tapping on his horn as he was going down the street, and I would say, 'You're getting closer. I can hear you better now.'"

Once Sam found Brandon, they rushed home, just to figure out the extent of Brandon's injuries.

Brandon laid on the cool kitchen floor as Sam cleaned up his wounds.

The couple soon rushed to St. Francis where doctors put four staples in Brandon's head and stitches in his knee.

After the attack, Sam and the couple's friends banded together to get out the word about what happened.

Soon, Brandon's story was on CNN's Web site and mentioned in a blog on the Huffington Post Web site.

It wasn't just people in the GLBT community who were upset. Throughout the nation, people from all backgrounds expressed outrage.

Meanwhile, at home, Sam waited on hand and foot for Brandon.

Here, Sam irons Brandon's shirt that he wore to a benefit drag show to raise money for Brandon's medical bills.

The benefit was originally planned to pay for Shanel's expenses as she prepares for Miss Gay Oklahoma USA on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.

But because Brandon's primary form of income is working as a drag queen, he doesn't have insurance.

Brandon was surprised by all the support and kindness he received from the GLBT community and just people in general.

But at the benefit, between the tips the drag queens donated from their performances to the cover collected at the door, they were able to raise $829 for Brandon's $849 medical bill.

Mya Mokka Iman, the host of the benefit, is one of Brandon's closest friends in the drag community. Mya is the reigning Miss Gay Oklahoma USA queen. Brandon was her dresser for the pageant, meaning he helped her get her hair ready and outfits in order. He also did all of her dancers' makeup for her dance routine in the pageant. During Mya's last performance at the benefit, she asked everyone in Club Majestic to give $1. They listened.

Daphne Rio was one of Brandon's first drag friends. The two have been friends for about five years, learning about the art of drag together.

After the benefit, Daphne stood by as Brandon texted his mother to let her know how much money was raised. Brandon and his family don't talk much. He moved out of his house after high school, leaving a tense relationship with his mother and stepfather behind. Now, after living on his own for about five years, he and his parents lead separate lives that rarely intertwine. Brandon's sister, Shephalah, is only the family member Brandon interacts with. She came to the benefit.

Even though the attack has made Brandon much more aware of his surroundings, he hasn't stopped doing the things he enjoys. The attack didn't change what he does day to day.

During the day, he sews outfits for other drag queens as a means of income. He first learned to sew in middle school.

"Everyone had to make a pair of shorts and a pillow," he said.

Meanwhile, he also learned about sewing from his grandmother.

"My grandmother always had a sewing machine, and she was always sewing things around the house," he said.

Brandon has been busy preparing for Miss Gay Oklahoma USA on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.

He has been gluing rhinestones on his formal gown and practicing his talent routine with his dancers, Waylon, Derrick (not pictured), Jon and Quinton (not pictured). They are performing Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)."

Along with the Friday night show at Club Majestic, Brandon also performs in Tabitha Taylor's Twisted Theatre at Renegade's in Tulsa. Each month, the group performs a play with an adult twist. In November, they performed "Annie XXX." Brandon played two roles — an orphan and Daddy Oliver Warbucks' assistant Grace Farrell.

It takes no more than 10 minutes to remove all the makeup after a drag show. Meanwhile, it takes about three hours to get completely ready from the hair to the makeup to the clothing.