Celebrating Indigenous Drag Kings and Queens

You never know what you’ll find when you walk into Sunshine House. There could be people singing karaoke or making get well cards for a friend. This resource centre in Winnipeg’s centennial neighbourhood provides harm reduction supplies, a cup of coffee and community. In the center of this community: Drag. Feather Wolfe and Davey Francis Kole are the heart and soul of Sunshine House – and two of the Queens behind the Like That drop-in program, primarily focused on the LGBTQ2S+ community and invites them to come as they are.

Chelazon Leroux sashayed into our hearts on the third season of Canada’s Drag Race. The Dene drag queen from Saskatoon is one of the few Indigenous queens to grace Ru Paul’s Canadian stage. But it’s more than just stilettos, big hair and crowns; Chelazon is fierce, funny and proud to represent being Indigenous.

In a world of queens, it can be a challenge for kings to find a place for themselves. Drag artists like Vancouver-based King Fisher, aka Jayme Andrews have had to fight to be part of the scene. But, clad in rhinestone, armour and love, they’ve won that battle. A drag performer of the Ktunaxa Nation, King Fisher challenges what drag should look like.

Did someone say Landback? Colonization almost completely erased the space where two-spirit people exist within our communities. Anita Landback, who is from Millbrook First Nation, uses their drag as a love letter to their Mi'kmaq culture and to reclaim this space for themselves and future generations of two-spirit people.

As much as many might wish they looked like Adam Beach, that’s not the reality for most. Growing up, Tygr Willy loved watching Mr. Beach on the screen but didn’t see themselves reflected. Through drag they’re hoping to bring softer representation of Indigenous bodies and cultural intersectionality to a wider audience.