2014 Pride Parade Grand Marshals

Diva X

Diva X has had the longest running weekly Drag Show, The Xotica Show, in the Central Valley reaching a milestone of 10 years this year.
That is a feat considering all the drag shoes that have come and have gone.
Diva X has always encouraged and welcomed newcomers to put on a wig and strut if their heart longs to strut.
She has donated time and money. Working with The Express to raise/ donate over $1,000 for the Livingroom’s Health Education Center.
Diva and her girls have developed skits and PSA’s to help educate the community on HIV/AIDS and STD/STI on education and prevention efforts. She has fully endorsed and supported the Fresno Health Department’s efforts on getting our community tested for HIV.
She has served on the World Aids Day committee and has joined forces to launch videos that educate with PSA’s featuring her group The Xotica Show and the Diva X Show The Toya & Tennisha Show which are not only entertaining but smart.
Her empire doesn’t just stop there, She has created venues for discussion regarding stigma, disease and everything under the sun. Her radio show and her blog “My life on the X list” add to this dialog.
She continues to inspire and amaze the Central Valley’s LGBT community, both the young and the grey.
It’s hard to stay afloat, to stay relevant while being true to yourself in the Central Valley LGBT community and she has proven herself and continues to shine as one of the local figures in our area making a difference.
She has represented Fresno far and wide and even inspired gay outlets in surrounding neighborhoods. She has assisted in helping to launch and hosting U. C. Merced’s Gay Pride Week and what is now Club Republic in Visalia Gay Night.
Let us give the girl a little credit cause love her or hate her she continues to do HER and do HER well.

KAREN SCOT

Award Winning Teacher, Film Producer/Screenwriter
TRANSGENDER WOMAN

Miss Karen Adell Scot has taught science at Yosemite High School for twenty four years. She has 30 years experience teaching in both junior high and high school.

Karen Scot is a multiple Who’s Who in America’s Schools teacher, being awarded that accolade over ten times. She has been awarded the Eastman Kodak Award for Excellence in Teaching, and is a California Distinguished Educator. She has been many times a teacher of the month, and has educated over five thousand students. Over her thirty year educational career she has coached and trained California State Champions in Science Fair, Science Olympiad and Odyssey of the Mind, with her OM team taking fifth place in world competition defeating Russia. She has received honors for excellence in teaching science students by the Department of Energy/Cray Research Foundation. Miss Scot’s Native American Science team took fifth place in the all tribe western Native Science Championships.

Karen Scot is a Major in the California Cadet Corps, and was a Madera County Sheriff’s Deputy for years, graduating first in her police academy class. She has written nine feature films and has produced two feature films that have been in theaters. A diverse woman, Miss Scot plays piano, guitar, sings and writes music, also playing bagpipes. She is a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter and can build hotrods.

Karen Scot has taught AP Physics, Physics, AP Chemistry, Chemistry, AP Biology, Biology, Zoology, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Human Biology, Earth Science, Computer Tech, ROP Digital Film Making, among other classes. A Science Specialist, Miss Scot can teach any science offered to students at the high school level.

Karen Scot was born Transgender, and was a female in a male body from her earliest self-aware memories. She begged and continuously demanded to be called a female name and be treated like a girl from a small toddler. She sought out girl’s clothing and wore it as much as possible. She played with all little girl friends and imagined as a girl. Each night, she would strive as hard as she could to make her body awake as a female body the next morning, and did this for years.

Karen lived in male drag for 50 years, getting married and having children with a wonderful intelligent woman. Divorcing, she has two children, a male (33) and a female (31), with three grandchildren (6, 5,and 3 years old). Her greatest hope, and the life goal of Karen Adell Scot is this:

“As you live your life, leave a trail of joy behind you.” – Karen Adell Scot