Local drag performer Veronika Vixen says performing has helped them explore their gender identity and build a supportive community.
However, finding their space in the drag community took a while because they identified as a woman when they first started performing.
Veronika Vixen is now advocating for a more accepting drag community in Calgary.
Julianna Adair: How would you explain drag to someone who is unfamiliar?
Veronika Vixen: To me, drag is an art form, and it’s an expression of gender in any sort of way. Gender is so expansive and such a broad spectrum. It could be a woman dressing as a woman. It could be a man dressing as a man. It could be vice versa. It can be any sort of artistic expression of gender.
How would you describe the drag scene in Calgary?
I love it here. I have created my own little community, specifically of other trans, non-binary artists. We’ve done a lot of work in the past couple of years to make ourselves known in this community and have a secure space. So, that’s something that I’m really proud of, and it makes me very happy to be part of this community.
What were some of the challenges that you faced when you started performing in drag?
I identify as trans masc now, but when I first started performing, I did not. I was still a woman and I used she/her pronouns, and I just loved RuPaul’s Drag Race. I was like, “I’m all about this,” and I got so involved in the local scene. I was like, “First of all, is it okay for me to be within the space?”
I heard a lot of differing opinions at first. This was a couple of years ago, and I got a lot of pushback from some people being like, “No, you’re taking over our space. You’re not welcome here.” And then I also heard the perspective of, “If we are going to be having an art form that is primarily celebrating women, we have to include women in it; otherwise, it’s just going to be misogynistic. Then you’re just making fun of women because you’re not inherently including them in your art.”
And also, trans women are like the pinnacle and the reason that drag exists today. So if you say that women can’t do drag, you’re kind of just invalidating that as well because they are literally the reason that we’re all here.
So, I dealt with a lot of pushback at first. It’s gotten a lot better within the past couple of years with just more femme, trans, non-binary performers coming out and being like, “You know what, we’re just going to do this thing. We’re not going to care what anybody says. We’re going to take over this space and make it our own.” I’m going to name-drop some people that are super important. Rip Em and Karla Marx are two of the ones that come to my brain. They’ve done so much for making the Calgary drag scene safe and welcoming for people like me. And it’s super lovely now; it just took a little while for us to get here.
Why do you think drag is important?
Well, to me, it helped me just be more comfortable in my body, be more comfortable with myself and my self-expression, my creativity. I’ve been artistic my whole life. I’ve been a theatre kid. I’ve been a writer. I’ve been a makeup artist. Doing all that stuff, but I’ve never found something that encompasses everything all at once, like drag does. It’s dancing, it’s art, it’s theatre, it’s emotion and passion, and it’s just everything that I love.
What would you say to someone who thinks that drag shouldn’t be performed at all?
At all? I would say that you probably live a little boring life! But honestly, I would encourage them to come to a show and maybe try to change their opinion. I’ve brought my grandparents to shows, I’ve brought my parents to shows. Drag is not their biggest thing in the entire world. But now they love it because I’ve brought them to shows with funny queens, and they can’t help but laugh. I just encourage people to always give it a try, and if it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. I can’t force you but just don’t try to take it away from us.
What do you think can be done about this unacceptability around drag?
I think a lot more people need to just speak up about it. We need a lot more straight allies. Because a lot of the issue is queer people are constantly supporting each other and uplifting each other. Pride comes around, and thousands of people are at pride, right? But we don’t get that at our local shows. We don’t get that money donated to charities. So, we need a lot more corporate backing, a lot more support from ‘allies,’ and publicly speaking out against these protests. Show up to protests, write to your elected officials, and try to actually make a difference. Because they listen to straight people, they don’t listen to queer people.
Moving forward, what do you hope to achieve with your drag?
With my drag, honestly, I’ve never been a person who wants to be on Drag Race, go on TV, or be super famous. It’s always just been about me being proud of myself, being locally respected, and having a lot of friends and fun. It’s just my number one passion in life. I want to go to school and get a degree and have a day job, and then be able to do this at night and come home. That’s, like, my ideal.
I just want to say that all drag is valid, and trans rights are human rights. Write to your elected officials and listen to trans people of colour!