Athena Dion

Last updated
Athena Dion
Born
Stavros Stavrakis

1987 (age 37–38)
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.

Contents

Early life and education

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

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, Plane Jane, and Juicy Love Dion are her drag daughters. [11] The first two competed on season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race, [3] and the latter will be competing against her on season 18. [3] Juicy Love Dion and Athena Dion are the first "mother-daughter" duo to compete against each other on the same season of Drag Race. [12] [11] 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]

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

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

Filmography

References

  1. 1 2 3 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.
  2. 1 2 3 "Athena Dion STAVROS STAVRAKIS". Issuu. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tangcay, Jazz (2025-12-02). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Reveals 14 New Queens for Season 18". Variety. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  4. ↑ "Dress to Slay for Hall-O-Queen, Starring Drag Race's Latrice Royale". Miami New Times. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Dior, Chiffon (2018-09-25). "The WERRRK.com Interview: Athena Dion -" . Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  6. ↑ Cassola, Jose (2022-04-24). "Athena Dion goes "back home" to FIU". Miami Gay News. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  7. ↑ Staff, OUTSFL's (2023-11-30). "The Miami Winners - Your Choice Awards 2023". Out South Florida. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cook, Michael (2018-01-29). ""The People's Queen": South Florida's Athena Dion". Out In Jersey media. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  9. 1 2 Duffy, Abigail (2023-04-11). "Meet Three Magic City Queens". Aventura Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  10. ↑ "South Beach queens happiest when life is a drag – Miami Montage". miamimontage.org. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  11. 1 2 "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 18 Cast: Meet the 14 Queens Vying for the Crown". People.com. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  12. ↑ OUTinPerth (2025-12-10). "First look at 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 18". OUTinPerth. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  13. 1 2 Henseler, Kylea (2021). "BRING THE HAUS DOWN" (PDF). Distraction Magazine. Miami: University of Miami. p. 55-56. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
  14. ↑ "Athena Dion – Our Community Roots" . Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  15. 1 2 "Athena Dion". MN2S. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  16. 1 2 Cassola, Jose (2017-12-18). "Miami drag queens making dreams come true this holiday season". Miami Gay News. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  17. 1 2 3 "Rejected 'America's Got Talent' singer has spicy revenge message for Howie Mandel (exclusive)". EW.com. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  18. ↑ Mykonos, Bitch with Athena Dion, Audioboom, I Need Help Productions, 2018-09-13, retrieved 2025-12-18
  19. ↑ "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.
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