Mark “Zebra” Thomas has been the catalyst for many artistic endeavors over the last decade. In the summer of 2000, he left film school at UCLA to realize his life-long dream of starting a traveling circus company. His circus “Plexus” gained measurable success throughout Canada and the Northern regions of the US.

After relocating the company to San Francisco in 2002, Zebra began performing occasionally at the notorious alternative drag night known as “Trannyshack”.  “I’d never seen really subversive art that was served up in such a fun way,” recalls Thomas. “You could really laugh at anything at a Trannyshack show”. Shortly thereafter, he left San Francisco and his beloved “Plexus” and moved North to Portland, Oregon. “When I moved to Portland I knew I wanted to start something again, and I wanted it to be totally different” says Thomas.

After immersing himself within the Portland gay community, he began to wonder where all the “queer alternative boys were”, and after seeing soon-to-be fellow Sissyboy member Lee Kyle perform in a John Waters-themed drag night as a 6’4” “Divine”, he knew he’d found what he was looking for. He introduced himself to Lee and asked if he’d like to join a new punk drag performance troupe the likes of which Portland had never experienced. Lee said “yes” and Sissyboy was born.