Tickets for drag shows are selling out in Val-d’Or. Those of Sherbrooke have their regulars. A drag will soon host a golf tournament outside of Montreal. Obviously, even though the LGBTQ+ communities are smaller in the regions of Quebec, drags are welcome there.
Posted yesterday at 1:00 p.m.
12 years ago, when Sasha Baga went to Saint-Georges to perform, a slight concern inhabited her. “I went to the bar, I put on makeup there and I didn’t go out,” she recalls. Today, if I go to Trois-Rivières or Sherbrooke, I go to the restaurant in drag without any problem. Of course, there are funny looks, but people are very receptive. »
Originally from Amos, she would never have imagined doing drag in her native region.
PHOTO MARTINE POULIN, PROVIDED BY SASHA BAGA
Sasha Baga
having grown up [à Amos] as a very marginalized person, i had a primary and a secondary rock and roll. I would never have believed that minds would open.
Sasha Baga
“There is still a lot of work to do, but I have just been hired to be the ambassador for Tourisme Abitibi-Témiscamingue,” she adds. This is completely crazy ! »
Two worlds collide
In Sherbrooke, Gina Gates sees a hundred people gather every week to see drags at the bar l’Otre Zone. “The community supports its artists,” she says. We have a lot of regulars who follow our shows. »
PHOTO BG PHOTOGRAPHY, PROVIDED BY GINA GATES
Gina Gates
She feels just as well received by the regulars of the Microdistillery, located above. “It’s a very heteronormative bar, but when I go out in drag, the customers applaud me, encourage me and come to talk to me. They are fascinated by what they see. »
Originally from Joliette, Rainbow gives shows throughout the province.
More than 70% of my contracts are outside Montreal. I am often hired for corporate events in the region.
Rainbow
She also observes a favorable reception to the art of drag. “People are curious to learn more. They know makeup and costumes, but they realize there’s a lot of research and creativity in what we do. It leads to great discussions. »
To pass a message
According to Lady Frencheuse, who forms the duo Les Diamond Drilleuses de Val-d’Or with Old El Paslut, drag makes it possible to tackle several delicate subjects. “When we talk about systemic racism and what’s happening with First Nations, people listen to us,” she said. We can discuss any subject and it will pass, because we are in drag. »
Having taken her first steps in drag very recently, Lady Frencheuse evokes a second coming out to do with those around him, after that related to his sexual orientation.
What I do in drag is more difficult to understand for some relatives who do not evolve in the middle queer. I am often asked questions about my gender identity.
Lady Frenchwoman
She adds that showing up in drag in the small Abitibi LGBTQ+ community is a double-edged sword. “Some love it, while others think I’m too feminine or too trash. In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, if you deviate from the norm and you are not sufficiently ‟masculine”, it bothers you. »
Regardless, she assumes. “I make people a little uncomfortable and that’s a good thing. It will be easier for future generations to talk about what they want to be. »
cheering crowd
Despite some discomfort, drag shows are popular in his region. “This year, we already have six! I find it phenomenal to make shows of drags in Val-d’Or, the cradle of the mining industry! »
From Rouyn-Noranda to Sherbrooke, Sasha Baga can also testify to the euphoria of the public. “People are out of control and they really like it! There is nevertheless educational work to be done in his case. “Since I am a trans woman who does drag, there are always people who will comment, without wanting to be mean, and who come to ask me questions about why I continue since my transition. »
PHOTO MORGANE SHOCK, THE PRESS
Rainbow
Rainbow is particularly fond of witnessing some members of the public take their first steps into the world of drag. “It is often those who have had their arms twisted to come see us who end up having the most fun. And sometimes the party raises much more in the regions than in Montreal. »
Throughout Quebec, drag shows attract people of all sexual orientations and all ages. “At the last edition of Fierté Val-d’Or, drag Adriana was part of the show, and I saw 13-year-old teenagers screaming and throwing five piastres as if tomorrow did not exist, says Lady Frencheuse. Adriana herself was surprised. She told us that she did not taste this kind of energy in the big centres. »