March 30 2026, 08:15 
Seven-year-old Anwyn Watts has loved drag queens since she first laid eyes on them at a Naples, Florida, Pride festival at age three. She has even marched in protests for their rights, declaring, as her mother relayed to The Advocate, “I like to dress up as a princess, but they like to dress up as queens.”
“She will literally shrug her shoulders, like ‘What’s the difference?'” said her mom, Stephanie Watts, explaining that her 28-year-old son is part of the LGBTQ+ community, which inspired Anwyn Watts to become a strong ally at her young age.
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His parents cut him off for being trans. He’ll graduate on time thanks to the kindness of strangers.
And when tragedy struck the Watts family, drag queens rushed to support Anwyn Watts the way she has supported them.
The young girl was rushed to the hospital in December, where doctors discovered a large mass in her brain that was causing strokes. She has since had four major surgeries and, at one point, was placed in a medically induced coma. “To see your child hooked up to machines that are keeping her alive. It was unbelievable,” Stephanie Watts told The Advocate.
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At first Anwyn Watts could not walk or speak when she woke up, but the drag queens Miss Bouvèé (aka Eric Swanson) and Dixie Longate (aka Kris Andersson) visited her in the hospital and helped her learn to sing again.
“Anwyn still tells everyone she had her very own drag show in her hospital room,” Stephanie Watts said of the sing-along. “We had a lot of fun,” she added. “Anwyn said we were just jamming out, she had a lot of fun with them. She keeps talking about them.”
Even more, Anwyn Watts has been crowned Naples’ first-ever Princess of Pride in the upcoming April PrideFest. “She’s so excited,” her mother said. “We’re trying to find the perfect dress for her right now. She’s very proud, so she tells everybody that she actually is a princess now because Naples Pride says so.”
Earlier this month, a friend of Anwyn Watts’ music therapist put out a call to drag queens on social media to contribute to a video of support for her recovery. Many replied with gusto, including Drag Race alums Nina West and Laganja Estranja.
Naples Pride also posted in support of Anwyn Watts.
“Many of you may recognize this sweet little princess, Anwyn Watts, a 7-year-old from Naples, from our Pride events,” the group wrote. “She’s been at nearly every celebration, cheering on her favorite drag queens who she proudly calls ‘The Queens,’ while making sure to remind everyone that she’s ‘The Princess.'”
“Not long ago,” the post added, “Anwyn, suffered a sudden and life-threatening brain bleed caused by a rare medical condition. She underwent emergency brain surgery, and doctors initially feared she could lose her sight, hearing, speech, and even her ability to walk.”
“But this little princess is a fighter.”
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