Heklina

Stefan Grygelko (June 17, 1967 – April 3, 2023), better known by the stage name Heklina, was an American actor, drag queen, and entrepreneur in San Francisco. Grygelko's mother was Icelandic, and having been born in the U.S., he lived in Iceland in the 1980s; he named his drag character after the Icelandic volcano Hekla. Heklina founded the drag club Trannyshack in 1996.

I think that drag queens are still the eunuch clown that's safe to laugh at. It's definitively not shocking anymore. So I don't know if America's really embraced it. The early 90s was when RuPaul [was becoming famous] and it was the first time any drag queen had mainstream exposure. I don't really see a drag queen breaking out like that [again].

Career

Mother (formerly Trannyshack)

It has several meanings; the new "Mothership" of drag in SF, something warm and comforting, nurturing even. And it also ties into the "drag mother" thing. This will be a place for all drag mothers to bring their children, to hone their craft.

Heklina co-founded Trannyshack, and hosted the show from its inception in 1996 at the Stud bar and continued to host the special events throughout San Francisco and in other – mainly California – cities. Trannyshack is the longest running drag event series in San Francisco. On January 17, 2015 at The Oasis, Trannyshack was rebranded as Mother, evolving from a monthly to a weekly event series.

Heklina also co-produced and co-hosted the Miss Trannyshack Pageant, widely considered the premier annual drag event in San Francisco, that has sold out every year since inception.

Theater and community activities

Heklina also acted in local theater productions, most notably the S.F. Golden Girls productions (as Dorothy Zbornak) and emceed a variety of community and charitable events including the Folsom Street Fair (along with Sister Roma) and San Francisco Pride. She was voted Community Grand Marshal of the 2004 San Francisco GLBTQ Pride Parade, and won the 2009 Pride Creativity Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the LGBT Community. She was sainted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Heklina co-starred in a series of short films, the "Tran-ilogy of Terror", drag queen horror spoofs written and directed by long-time collaborator Peaches Christ, and also starred in the film "Baby Jane?".

The Oasis

The Oasis, a theater and cabaret nightclub located in San Francisco's SoMa district, hosted a grand opening event on New Year's Eve day 2014. Heklina and three business partners, D'Arcy Drollinger, Geoff Benjamin, and Jason Beebout, signed a deal to purchase the former Oasis nightclub in October 2014. The nightclub's diverse programming features drag stars, cabaret and performing artists, live musical acts, and DJs.

Mommie Queerest

In 2022, Heklina appeared alongside Peaches Christ in Mommie Queerest, a drag parody of Mommie Dearest, in Palm Springs and Seattle. In April 2023, Heklina and Peaches were set to perform the show in London and Manchester.

Death

On April 3, 2023, Grygelko was found dead by co-star Peaches Christ in London. He was 55. No foul play was suspected in the death.

Filmography

• Heklina (short) (2013)
• Drag: Not Just Men in Heels (2007)
• The House of Venus Show (2006)
• Blood, Sweat and Glitter (2004)
• Helot Revolt: The World's Greatest F*gg*t Heavy Metal Band or they were out of Bette Davis so I got this (1993)
• The Daily Show
• The Ricki Lake Show
• Jerry Springer

References

External links

• Heklina's Official Facebook Page
• Heklina's YouTube video channel
• videos of Heklina's performances and Filthy Gorgeous, The Trannyshack Story
• SF Oasis : The Club
• Heklina Talks About Mother, The New Incarnation Of Trannyshack At The Oasis