Chispa has partnered with beloved drag queen Salina EsTitties to launch the app’s first-ever Queer Community within its “Social” mode, offering a safe digital space for queer Latinos and allies to connect, find community, and celebrate their full selves.
This exciting collab arrives at a time when queer Latine daters aren’t afraid to reshape what love, identity, and connection look like in the modern age.
So.Gay chatted with Salina EsTitties about her new partnership with Chispa, the rollercoaster that comes with dating, and wise dating advice for anyone ready to get out there.
So.Gay: Salina EsTitties! It’s so wonderful to meet you. After your time on the Emmy Award-winning season of RPDR 15, are there any iconic memories that still stay with you?
S.E.: Oh my god, you know, it’s been a while now. It’s been a minute. But when I think back, honestly, I loved the challenges. Doing the challenges on Drag Race was so much fun for me. I enjoy that creative process. The pressure is intense and really hard, but I love it.
The challenges always came easily to me. The girl group challenge, for example, was really fun and felt effortless. Even the Ru-sical made me feel like I was in my element 1000 percent. When I get to do those kinds of challenges and perform on stage, everything just clicks.
Yes, I struggled along the way, but I can look back and laugh now. Back then, I couldn’t always see or hear what the judges were saying because I was so deep in it. But now I can look back and go, “Oh, okay, I get it.”
It’s also been amazing to travel and experience different drag scenes. Being exposed to drag outside of LA opened my eyes. LA drag is very different from drag in Texas, Florida, or New York. So getting to see other styles of drag through Drag Race and touring has helped me understand the art form in a way I didn’t appreciate before.
I get what the judges were saying about how I could improve. Overall, I had a great time with the challenges. Even looking back at the tough moments, I’ve learned and grown from them.
So.Gay: I’m happy to hear that it was a positive experience. A lot of personalities on your season.
S.E.: You see the bitter girls, and I never want to be a bitter girl. That is not my vibe. I may say things that can come off bitter in the past or whatever but that’s not who I want to be. We all get to learn, grow and move forward.
So.Gay: One way that you move forward is that you’ve been continuing your drag through these last few years. In a recent video from the Little Pageant That Could, you shared on stage, “I never thought this would be my life, I’m so grateful for this life.” Can you talk about this?
S.E.: Drag Race really changed my life. But before that, what got me into drag was this pageant called “The Best in Drag Show” featured in The Little Pageant That Could. It has a documentary on WOWPresents Plus and focuses on the legacy of the Best in Drag Show, which is an annual fundraiser in LA. It’s a very campy, Miss America-style amateur drag show. And when I say amateur, I mean people are doing it for the first time. Folks go all out, spending money on gowns, and it’s very non-PC. It’s super inappropriate and full of that old-school drag humor. You know, like reading shady old gays. That was the drag I was first exposed to when I got started.
It all began as an act of service. I got sober when I was 21 years old. Up until then, I had just been trying to make it on Broadway. But I found drugs and partying in LA, and everything went downhill. When I got sober, I was like, “Okay, what do I do with my life now? Do I still perform?” So I tried dancing. I graduated from a professional dance program, but I wasn’t booking anything.
Then they asked me to be in this drag pageant after I had just been helping out for two years. They were like, “When are you going to compete, girl?” And I was like, “What do you mean compete? I’m not a drag queen.”
But I said yes, and it ended up going well. I thought, “Well, if I’m doing it for free, I might as well get paid for it.” So I started doing drag competitions in LA and I won them, which kicked off my journey with drag.
Flash forward 10 or 11 years, and now I’ve been on Drag Race and traveled the world. I didn’t know drag would become my life. I didn’t expect it to be the vehicle that allowed me to do everything I ever wanted. That’s the true beauty of drag. So many of us get to use drag as a way to showcase the talents we have that might not be celebrated out of drag.
When I was on Drag Race, I was almost 300 pounds. I was depressed, in a relationship that wasn’t great, and my mom was passing away. On top of that, some Drag Race fans were really nasty to me. It was a hard time. But all of that pushed me to get where I am today. I’ve lost weight, I feel good about my body, and I feel like myself again.
I’m still sober. I don’t have the option to go drink at the bar after work. I don’t have the option to check out of reality. I have to face it. And honestly, I think that’s my secret. I face reality with vulnerability, and I ask myself, “How do I move forward, especially right now?”
Times are tough. America has a lot of problems, and I don’t want to be part of them. I try to focus on solutions. And back then, part of the solution was simply being of service. By being of service, I’ve been given a life that sometimes makes me stop and think, “What the heck? How did I end up in London, in full drag, surrounded by boys stripping?” It’s wild.
So.Gay: Sounds like a life very well lived. You’re continuing to do some amazing things like partnering with Chispa to support single Latines find love, community, and celebrate their true selves. I’m wondering what you think folks should join Chispa?
S.E.: Chispa is where culture and connection come together. I’ve said before that my last relationship wasn’t amazing. I was with him during COVID, and that’s when his political views started to take a strange turn. I’d bring him to parties, but he often struggled to connect with people. There’s a common belief that, when you grow up with a certain culture and date someone outside of it, there can be a disconnect. You end up having to teach them your culture, your lifestyle, and how you were raised, just so they can understand where you’re coming from.
With Chispa, meeting other Latines feels easier. It’s almost like you get to bypass some of that teaching you usually have to do when dating someone new. Again, it’s all about culture and connection. When we share similar backgrounds, we understand each other. I think it creates a safe space to explore.
For someone like me, I used to be so insecure about my identity. I was ashamed of it and carried a lot of internalized racism. To face that with someone or have a partner who truly relates to you on that level is a breath of fresh air.
Chispa makes space for that. And let’s be honest, Latinos are hot, you know what I mean! As a proud, loud, and out Latina, I love that Chispa created a space for all of us. Whether you’re queer, questioning, or somewhere in between, Chispa is a place to build real connections rooted in pride, culture, and authenticity.
So.Gay: Seems like such a great partnership. The app sounds like a really great opportunity for connection.
S.E.: The thing is, other apps are still stuck being purely sexual. On Chispa, you can find whatever you’re looking for. That might be dates, friendships, or even a hookup, and that’s totally okay.
On the more popular hookup apps that many gay men use, Latin people are often fetishized or boxed into a specific identity. You’ll get messages like “hey papi,” and it’s like, calm down.
Chispa offers a safe space for us to find familiarity and common ground, which isn’t always easy to come by on other apps, especially where racism is still very present in our gay culture and queer community.
So.Gay: An app like Chispa helps folks find a great match, so what red flags should they look out for when dating?
S.E.: Let’s talk about red flags! I think ultimately, it’s being clear with your intentions. Your true intentions, what your heart and your soul are actually craving. A lot of us in the queer community use each other to try to feel better. Then we’re left alone after they finish and we’re crying and vulnerable and naked. We’re unwell!
The work is about looking in. It’s connecting with your intentions of what you’re wanting, because sometimes it just gets off really quickly, and that’s totally valid. I’ll speak for myself, a red flag is when I say yes to something that doesn’t actually sit well with me, or if someone’s acting a certain way, behaving, or talking a certain way… If it does not feel good in my soul, that’s not okay with me anymore.
I’ve learned to recognize my own red flags and I think that’s the real secret. When you get better at spotting your own patterns, you become better at noticing them in others too.
One big red flag for me is around partying. I don’t party. I’ve been sober for almost 13 and a half years. Sometimes I’ll even let someone know early on, “Hey, I don’t party, but if you’re ever struggling, you can reach out.” In our community, the word “party” often signals drug use, and that’s something we don’t talk about enough. It’s a serious issue, especially among younger people who might be exposed to it way too early.
There’s also a larger crisis happening with things like fentanyl and it’s affecting our community in devastating ways. So for me, that’s a major red flag. Safety, health, and honesty come first.
So.Gay: An absolutely valid point our readers will take to heart. After someone lands a first date on Chisma, where do you suggest they go? What’s your ideal date spot?
S.E.: Again, you have to clock your intentions, right? Is it a first date because you’re trying to hook up? Or is it a first date because you’re actually seeking connection? For me, it’s often too easy to jump to sex, so lately I’ve been feeling good about slowing things down.
Sometimes I don’t really need the sex. I actually want to build connections. And for that, I think the best spot is a coffee shop. No longer than 20 minutes. That’s enough time to check in, introduce yourselves, feel out the vibe, and decide if you want to go on another date.
I always say grabbing a coffee is really cute, especially at a local café. Oh, but that can get dangerous. I started going on dates at the same café, and now I’m always there with a different guy. The workers be looking at me crazy, and I’m like, “Sorry girl, he’s not the one.” So I’d say switch it up! Try different coffee shops and keep it short. Just get to know the person, and if it feels good, then go for dinner or something sweet later.
I will say, I don’t think movies make for a good first date. You should be trying to see if you actually connect. Meanwhile, I’m over here connecting with the movie, crying in the corner. I’m not connecting with this guy. So skip the movie. Go on a quick, casual coffee date and then take it from there.
So.Gay: Very great dating advice and I’m sure all the Chispa users won’t fall into the trap of the same coffee shop. That’s very smart advice.
S.E.: A trap for sure, yeah.
So.Gay: You’re a great ambassador for a dating app like Chispa because you’ve lived it and are living it now. Your presence is so important as a drag performer and as a queer Latina individual. Your art is so intersectional. What are some of the other themes that you want your art to get across?
S.E.: In season 15, my mom was passing away. I was digging deep into my culture of my Latinness because my mom was really my anchor into my Latin roots. My dad is an american boy. He’s like a 90s b-boy. My mom is where the culture really came into play for me. So, as my mom was passing away, I was trying to and hoping to absorb as much Latin/Latinidad that I could. Because I wasn’t gonna have her anymore. I honor her, and I want to be able to uphold her legacy in that way as well.
So when that was happening, my message was very Latino. That was my goal. That’s what I was going through. Again, That’s what I love about drag and art. It’s like it’s a reflection of you in your life and in my life, in that moment, that’s what I was exploring. I was proud of my identity. I had a lot of internalized racism growing up. I hated that I was Latino because I would go on dating sites and they were all very white. Then I would watch TV. All the shows were very straight and white. I’m gay and Latino and in certain gay queer spaces, Latin doesn’t really get uplifted. But when I would go to Latin spaces, the queerness wasn’t that apparent.
So it’s hard to find that intersection. A place like Chispa is the perfect place for both parts of my identity to live in harmony. And that’s so important. With drag again, where I’m at today, I’ve been talking a lot about working on yourself. My mom’s passing away was a big catalyst for me to start working on myself. Get my body back together, and just go towards the solution of the problem. Working on yourself is so important. Right now, with where I’m at, it’s kind of like self-help. RuPaul, my other mother, says if you can’t love yourself how the hell you gonna love somebody else?
When you think about that, it’s like I actually have to love myself. And right now, I’m in a place where I am loving myself, and I think that’s really showing in my drag. People are constantly telling me, “You look amazing,” “You’re glowing,” “You look so happy,” and I’m like, “Oh, because I am.” The fact that people can see that is really powerful.
So if anything, with my drag right now, I just want people to feel inspired to work on themselves. It’s a really scary time. Especially speaking for my Latin community, ICE is terrorizing the country right now. They’re targeting a specific group of people, and it’s terrifying to go online and see that happening. On top of that, budget cuts are hitting queer community resource centers and suicide hotlines, which are our lifelines, and we’re being attacked in so many other ways.
I can’t change all of that at this moment. I’m powerless over a lot of it. But what I can do is change my perspective. I can shift what I’m doing. I can be a light for myself so that other people can see that and, hopefully, be inspired to do the same.
We could all die tomorrow with the way this country’s going, so do I want to sit here stressed and anxious, or do I want to live my best life right now? Find someone sexy on Chispa and go on a cute coffee date?
In order for me to stay well mentally and survive in this world right now, that’s what I have to do. And then I pour that into my art. My hope is that my art touches other people and inspires them to do the same.
That’s where I’m at with my drag right now. In Season 15, I thought that putting representation front and center was the right thing. And honestly, it did make an amazing impact. And I loved doing what I wanted to do. But now I’m starting to understand the difference between performing myself and expressing myself.
Back then, I wasn’t being performative, I was still discovering who I was, so I couldn’t fully express myself. I was performing my discoveries. Now, I’ve had time to sit with those discoveries, to really understand them, and because of that, I can express myself more authentically. I think that’s really coming through in my drag now.
So.Gay: I’m so happy that you’re feeling yourself grow in drag and as a person. It is an evolving art form, and you’re an evolving person, so it makes sense that you’re both growing together.
S.E.: I want to always be changing. I want to always be evolving. You don’t want to be Charmander your entire life. I want to be a Charizard.
So.Gay: True, and you’re definitely in your final form, Charizard-ing right now. I’m very happy to see it. Our last question is if there are any organizations folks should turn their attention to? Maybe after they find their match on Chispa they can make a donation together.
S.E.: Oh y’all should donate to GLAAD. I love GLAAD. They help with representation and LGBTQ+ Media. Making sure that we’re seen because that’s how we can make change. Like I said, if we’re not watching the news, we’re watching housewives. If we’re watching Drag Race, Survivor, or Big Brother then we have to have trans representation. There should be Latin and queer representation. Donating to GLAAD is a great resource, especially as someone who’s in the entertainment industry.
So.Gay: What’s next for you?
S.E.: I’m going to be featured in something with Frankie [Grande]. He’s amazing. That’s possible because of organizations like GLAAD, which are doing important work to normalize being gay and queer on our television screens. The more the world and society as a whole sees us, the more we’ll be viewed as normal. Because we are. And follow me on Instagram, too, at @estitties! An Instagram Follow, Like and Share goes a long way, as brands come to girls with the highest numbers.
As a symbol of unapologetic resilience, authenticity, and beauty, EsTitties’ work with the app marks a wonderful pairing to help people find genuine companionship. Chispa is really helping folks find true connections, thanks to their partnership with Salina EsTitties
