Everyone loves a drag queen, right? Well they did, thanks to the emergence of Pride, artists like RuPaul, and the success of shows like Canada’s Drag Race, dragging drag out of the back room and into the limelight where the queens love to shine. But lately there’s been a shift in support, with anti-gay protestors storming libraries to decry Drag Queen Story Hour, a program intended to gently and humorously teach children about inclusivity. It coincides with a rise in violence against trans and queer people, and Scarlett Bobo, for one, is not having it. Scarlett, a hugely popular drag performer, joins us to talk about their march, or “sashay”, to Queen’s Park to support a bill prohibiting violence and intimidation near drag venues. We also talk drag mothers, make-up and tucking.

Scarlett Bobo is the creation of Ottawa born Matthew Cameron. A fusion of Hollywood golden era icons and modern pop vixen, Scarlett has wowed audiences worldwide, and was in the top 3 of the first season of Canada’s Drag Race. Now living in Los Angeles, they continue to fight the surge in hate crimes there and at home. As they say, “We’re not going back in the closet. We’re just going to get more queer. We’re going to throw more glitter.”

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