Athena Dion | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stavros Stavrakis 1987 (age 38–39) Tarpon Springs, Florida, U.S. |
| Education | Florida International University (BS) |
| Television | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 18) |
Athena Dion is the stage name of Stavros Stavrakis (born 1987),[1][2] an American drag performer who is a contestant on season 18 of RuPaul's Drag Race.[3] Athena Dion has been a drag artist for 14 years.[2] She is currently based in the Miami metropolitan area.
Early life and education
[edit]Stavrakis was born in 1987, in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a Greek community near St. Petersburg.[1][4] He describes growing up in a family-oriented setting. He describes growing up steeped in Greek culture despite being in a military family which was forced to relocate often.[5] Stavrakis studied hospitality and tourism at Florida International University and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 2011.[6]
Drag career
[edit]Stavrakis' first exposure to drag was in the Robin Williams film The Birdcage.[7] Stavrakis began their drag career after taking a position as a drag queen working the door at the Living Room nightclub in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[8][9][5] He chose his stage name based on the Greek goddess Athena.[3][5]
Dion has described herself as a "social drag queen" and an artist who focuses on building community.[10] Athena is the mother of the House of Dion, a drag house based in Florida. Morphine Love Dion and Plane Jane, and are her drag daughters, and both competed together on season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race.[3][11] Juicy Love Dion, who is competing against Athena on season 18 is the drag daughter of Morphine Love Dion, making her Athena's drag grand-daughter.[3] Juicy Love Dion and Athena Dion are the first "grandmother-granddaughter" duo to compete against each other on the same season of Drag Race.[12] Athena also has a drag daughter named Miss Toto Clermont Dion who is based in Chicago.[13]
Athena Dion has competed in drag pageants, including Miami Beach Gay Pride, and Ultimate Miami Drag Queen.[8] She has won the following titles:[14]
- Miss North Carolina Continental 2011
- Miss Noche Latina 2013
- Miss South Carolina Continental 2014
- Miss Miami Beach Pride 2015
- Ultimate Miami Drag Queen 2017
- Miss Pride of Wynwood 2018 (Emeritus)
She hosts several drag brunches in Miami, including R House Brunch in Wynwood, Florida.[15] She also works in venues such as the Palace Bar, Club Score, and Southern Nights.[8] Stavrakis has done acts impersonating Gloria Estefan.[8]
Athena Dion has participated in and organized various charity events for various causes including youth homelessness, helping burn survivors, and LGBTQ+ community outreach.[8] During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Stavrakis helped organize Virtual Pride 2020 with the South Florida Pride Collective.[15] Stavrakis is also the owner of the drag entertainment company named Dream Queens, a group of drag artists and fans who work on charitable causes to "uplift, empower and motivate the human spirit" through the lens of drag and drag performance.[13][16]
In 2016, Athena Dion auditioned on season 11 of America's Got Talent alongside drag artists Sasha Lords, Nicole Halliwell, Calypso Monroe, and Nicole Saphire as a Spice Girls impersonation act named "Spice Gurlz".[17] Dion played Posh Spice.[8] The group did not advance advance past auditions after receiving two "no" votes.[17] In 2018, Athena Dion appeared on the podcast It's Happening hosted by Snooki and Joey Camasta.[18]
Personal life
[edit]Stavrakis splits his time between Miami and Mykonos.[17][19] His first romantic relationship was with a drag queen, Vegas Dion, who ended up being his drag mother.[2][9][5] Athena Dion has spoken out about anti-drag legislation in Florida.[1]
Awards
[edit]- 2017 SAVE Luminary award[16]
Filmography
[edit]- RuPaul's Drag Race (season 18)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Galarza, Monica; Dion • •, Athena (2023-05-17). "'There's No Harm Coming From My Show Or What I Do': Miami's Athena Dion on the Life, Career and Fears of a Drag Queen". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b c "Athena Dion STAVROS STAVRAKIS". Issuu. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b c d Tangcay, Jazz (2025-12-02). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Reveals 14 New Queens for Season 18". Variety. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "Dress to Slay for Hall-O-Queen, Starring Drag Race's Latrice Royale". Miami New Times. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b c d Dior, Chiffon (2018-09-25). "The WERRRK.com Interview: Athena Dion -". Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ Cassola, Jose (2022-04-24). "Athena Dion goes "back home" to FIU". Miami Gay News. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ Staff, OUTSFL's (2023-11-30). "The Miami Winners - Your Choice Awards 2023". Out South Florida. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b c d e f Cook, Michael (2018-01-29). ""The People's Queen": South Florida's Athena Dion". Out In Jersey media. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b Duffy, Abigail (2023-04-11). "Meet Three Magic City Queens". Aventura Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "South Beach queens happiest when life is a drag – Miami Montage". miamimontage.org. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 18 Cast: Meet the 14 Queens Vying for the Crown". People.com. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "Juicy Love Dion". Issuu. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ a b Henseler, Kylea (2021). "BRING THE HAUS DOWN" (PDF). Distraction Magazine. Miami: University of Miami. p. 55-56. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ^ "Athena Dion – Our Community Roots". Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b "Athena Dion". MN2S. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b Cassola, Jose (2017-12-18). "Miami drag queens making dreams come true this holiday season". Miami Gay News. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ a b c "Rejected 'America's Got Talent' singer has spicy revenge message for Howie Mandel (exclusive)". EW.com. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ Mykonos, Bitch with Athena Dion, Audioboom, I Need Help Productions, 2018-09-13, retrieved 2025-12-18
- ^ "Exclusive: Athena Dion Talks Seeing "Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club" Take Shape, Spending Time With Lindsay Herself, and That Notorious Tag Line! | Instinct Magazine". 2019-01-12. Retrieved 2025-12-18.