Toronto’s First All-Persian Drag Show
22 Nov 2019.  - Photos by Raymond Helkio

“My favourite moment of the night was seeing a lot of Persian parents and families spending time with our LGBTQ community. It means a lot to me because we don’t have many Persian parents who would support this.” - Javaneh (aka Javid Jabari) host of Toronto’s First All-Persian drag show

More than a show, Toronto’s first Persian drag extravaganza took place this past Friday, November 15, and was a feast for the eyes, as well as the belly. Prior to the show, a buffet of food was available for guests to stuff themselves silly before showtime at Sina Persian Cuisine at Yonge and Ellington. While I’m not prone to eating before a night of dancing everyone else in the room thought otherwise, so I piled up my plate, grabbed another drink and waited for the night to start. Like Dirty Dancing meets Priscilla Queen of The Desert the night began with the performers who took us out of our serene dining experience and into a pumping Persian disco for the remainder of the night.

Photo of Javaneh and Mahtab.

Aside from the wildly entertaining performances, the show was designed as a bold political statement intended to increase the visibility of LGBTQ people within a culture that is often in opposition to us as queer people. Host and performer Javaneh explains, “The fear of being rejected from people, especially the Persian community, takes our confidence away. I feel like we are forced to hide this part of our lives from everybody, especially our parents and family; otherwise, we could get into some serious trouble. Even here in Toronto, we still live with that fear because some of our families are still living in Iran and we don’t want to put them in danger. But at the same time, you have to start somewhere.” And Javaneh’s efforts are paying off, “The LGBTQ community needs to be seen by the Persian community, even if it’s for the first time, even if you get rejected, even if you get not nice comments. I’ve been struggling with this fear myself for months but I still feel I should be doing this.”

So will there be another one? According to Javid, “Definitely! It takes a lot of time to plan but we’re already working hard to make it happen. Many Persian restaurants in Toronto are not open to the idea of hosting a drag show, so finding a venue could be a challenge. Since our last show was such a positive experience, we are hopeful that we will find other places that are welcoming towards the Persian LGBTQ community.”

Performer Same dancing with Raymond Helkio.