The queercrip monster of our dreams, Boy Gorgeous, is always here to make a statement, share their story, and just have a good old camp time slaying any stage they can find.
Starting their drag takeover in 2021, they’re not only part of the amazing TeaHaus drag family, they’re also a producer and host of the bi-monthly show They/Them/Theirs in Nanaimo. With strong ties to community, this disabled and capable human takes pride in opening spots for queer youth to be able to try drag at Café Runway shows, performed on the last Saturday of every month at Café Fantastico.
Accessibility takes on a whole new meaning when they’re in charge.
“[I want to see] more accessible venues, with producers that prioritize disabled performers and audience members,” they say. “I want more COVID awareness, less strobes, less stairs. We deserve more than being an afterthought.”
Being a disabled performer, there’s an underlying frustration when one needs to access a space to perform but their body won’t allow them to make it there.
“I’ve been involved in performing arts my whole life and wasn’t able to continue for a long time due to my health,” they say. “My partner Olive ThisTea helped show me that drag was possible as a disabled, transgender individual.”
The most memorable number they’ve been able to perform takes inspiration from the queercrip and cripplepunk movements, and—boy, oh boy—was it a ride.
“My all-time favourite [is] ‘Monster’ by Skillet. It’s a performance that plays with my relationship with my health and medical horror, [and] I play with a black and bloody IV bag, which I rip out of my arm and suck on until my mouth is black and gross,” they say.
What do they really want the audience to feel from their numbers?
“Cathartic release,” they say. “I want to get a reaction out of both the audience and myself. Whether it’s disabled solidarity, horror and discomfort, joy and laughter—the emotional release is the entire point.”
In their day to day life, Boy can be found producing beautiful works of art for others and making them permanent at the Brass Iris tattoo studio, which welcomes all and has become a safe haven for those that are immunocompromised and wanting to be tattooed. Creating welcome and accessible spaces, they say, has gone hand in hand with their own process toward healing and self-love.
“Drag has instilled in me a confidence in my body, gender, and expression,” they say. “I understand myself and the people around me on such a deeper level because of drag.”
Boy has lived within and outside the bounds of being disabled, but has an inspiring and important message for others, modelled after the communities they look up to.
“These communities are full of rad people who refuse to let their disabilities and trans identities be boiled down into nothing more than a sterilized, medicalized existence,” says Boy. “We don’t look or act the way you expect us to, and we refuse to.”
Managing to find time to prioritize self-care while being on the grind has led to this monster’s positive and devilishly delightful takeover as the madness and lover boy of our nightmares.
Want more of Boy Gorgeous? Follow their socials at @boygorgeousdrag, @thisteahaus, and @erynalexanderr.