Surviving the pandemic IV: all hail the queens

13 May 2020

As Pride Month lurches and limps towards whatever celebrations we can manage in this ever fluctuating state of semi-isolation we find ourselves in, once again it is drag queens to the rescue!

Queens are nothing if not adaptable, even if a small screen can barely contain the glamour, hair and energy. But with the stages and runways, a drag queen's natural habitat, off limits for the time being, the larger than life stars of our community are a gift to our phones, tablets and laptops.

"Surviving the Pandemic" brought us BIG GIRL, The B-Girlz's QuaranQueened and Ruby La Rue in Digging Up Dorothy. "Surviving the Pandemic II" starred Varla Jean Merman and Jackie Beat. The festivals featured in "Surviving the Pandemic III" boasted drag on film and in virtual events of all kinds. And since the beginning of the pandemic, drag queens have been entertaining on a variety of social media platforms with Miss Conception adapting her spectacular revues for online, and Sofonda Cox rocking suburbia and going viral with her curbside drag shows and Sofonda's Go Go Review.

Ivory Towers burns up twitch.tv with fierce guest stars in the upcoming Gaymer Girls (Tuesday, June 16) and Power Hours (Monday, June 22). Even the venerable CBC is getting into the act with Queens (streaming on CBC Gem at cbc.ca starting Friday, June 19) a mystery/comedy involving lots of shade and the disappearance of a pageant crown. On  Friday, June 26, CBC Gem is also the home of an online version of the We're Funny That Way festival with host Maggie Cassella hosting the queer comic brilliance of Martha Chaves, Gavin Crawford, Lea DeLaria, Andrea Martin, Deb McGrath, Colin Mochrie, Katie Rigg, Carolyn Taylor, Shawnee, Karen Williams and more.

Friendly Stranger, the cannabis retail store in the heart of the Village (501 Church St), has organized and is presenting a Digital Drag Show on Tuesday, June 16 which aims to rival the best of the Pride stages or a much-missed at the moment night at Woody's, Crews & Tangos or Buddies. The spectacle is hosted by the Queen of the North Brooke Lynn Hytes who, after being first runner up in season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race and is a judge on the upcoming Canada's Drag Race, needs no introduction, and Brock McGillis, the first professional hockey player to come out.

The list of performers is impressive: Boa, Lucy Flawless, Baby Bel Bel, Eric Brockobic, Miss Fiercalicious, Devine Darlin, Juice Boxx, Jada Hudson, Courtney Conquers, Gia Metric, Sapphire and, of course, Sofonda Cox. The funds raised are for the Glad Day Lit's Emergency Survival Fund that supports Village artists, performers and tip-wage earners. Access to the event live is through a GoFundMe page and viewings (and the chance to further donate) will be available for a month after at friendlystranger.com. Viewers will also be treated to special offers and prize packages from Village mainstays Craig’s Cookies, Crews and Tangos, Woody’s, The Well and, of course, our friends at Friendly Stranger.

Less local but just as dramatic is Werq the World's Pride Castle on Saturday, June 27. Jaida Essence Hall and Yvie Oddly are joined by Heidi N Closet, Raja, Naomi Smalls, Kim Chi and Plastique for a virtual Pride event hosted by Candis Cayne. AFter entering the Pride Castle, "viewers will be whisked into the regal rooms of the residing queens and treated to a grand performance by each. The tour concludes with a live ball featuring all of the queens together for one over-the-top majestic spectacular in the castle’s vast courtyard." Ticket sales, donations and all tips will be forwarded to the National Black Justice Coalition, an organization dedicated to empowering the black LGBT+ community. Tickets are available at vossevents.com.

After reading this far you should already being feeling more proud. And hopefully indulging in those insistent urges to glam it up a little bit even if you're stuck at home. This only scratches, with lethal press-ons, the surface of what drag queens are created to ensure the survival of Pride. And pride. Check your favourite queen's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even Tik Tok, and guaranteed there will be an upcoming event or a performance or even a performance snippet that will lift your spirits over the rainbow.