Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS at age 26, Austin Nation faced his mortality until the life-extending drug AZT was released. At 40, Nation beat back his demons to live his best life as a drag performer and nursing professor at Cal State Fullerton. His autobiographical show, “Becoming Austin Nation — From Crack to Ph.D.: A Drag Queen’s Story,” runs from Jan. 12-14 at the Long Beach Playhouse Studio Collaborative.