Saskatoon drag queens and kings tucked balls and stuffed bras — or stuffed crotch and taped tits — for the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union Pride Centre’s Drag Extravaganza on Nov. 5.
The event was 16-plus and saw Louis’ packed with high school and university students alike, most not dressed in drag. The only people dressed in drag were the performers who took turns on stage lip syncing to popular songs.
Charity Luncheon provided the audience with the fiercest performance of the night singing Britney Spear’s “If You Seek Amy.”
“For me, performing is enjoyable; you feed off the crowd, you have a good time, you get to discover something you don’t normally have in yourself and you put on a different persona,” said Luncheon. “You even get a little more balls to the wall.”
However, she added, “Getting ready is a pain in the ass. The shaving, the make-up, the time and having to, well, tuck — none of it is really fun. I hate getting ready. But once it’s done, I love it.”
Eric Twa is the Pride Centre coordinator and identifies as transgender. He has been on testosterone hormone therapy for one year. He says that events like these are great for LGBTQ youth.
“It’s a fun, safe atmosphere where people can explore their gender expressions through drag and have the opportunity to perform. It’s just a good outlet for people,” said Twa. “There are students who aren’t of age who are queer and, when there are underage drag shows, they are highly attended because there are kids who are interested. Saskatoon has really high-energy drag shows and I’m really happy with the attendance.”
As one who identifies as transgender, however, performing in drag isn’t the easiest process for Twa: he appropriately performed a song from the gender-ambiguous Justin Bieber.
“I’m in a weird grey area,” he said. “As soon as I go in drag it automatically puts me in a female body and that is kind of hard.”
Since he identifies as a male but does not find dressing as a female empowering, drag is not really a positive option for him — although he did acknowledge the importance of drag for some people.
“Drag is such a beautiful thing and one thing I found with the drag world is — if you were a shy person and didn’t have a lot of confidence — drag gives you that; your drag persona is, essentially, your alter-ego,” he said. “We have these expectations of what our genders are supposed to be and some people don’t fit those. We need to explore it a little bit, and for some people that’s just drag or cross-dressing, and for some people it turns into a life-long transition.”
He also noted that for youth who are struggling with LGBTQ issues who do not have strong family or friend support, there is a large and embracing community in Saskatoon.
“There is a queer community out there on so many different levels — not just the bar community. If you don’t have people, there are groups who are willing to be there if you reach out.”
He said there are many resources on the Internet and in Saskatoon — like the Pride Centre and its events — that can help LGBTQ youth.
Of course, while events like the Drag Extravaganza are central to this community, they also help open this community to everyone.
Ashley Sokul, a drag-show virgin, said that the Drag Extravaganza was amazing.
“I was oblivious to what a drag show was because I’ve never been to one,” she said. “The gay community is so sheltered and not where it needs to be, but this felt so comfortable.”
Her friend Kate McKinnon added, “It seemed like a great venue for them to express themselves and I think it’s a great sign that straight people can walk in and feel so comfortable.”
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image: Raisa Pezderic