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Genevieve LeBlanc was a younger grownup after they found that drag was not restricted to queens.
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On the time, the idea of a drag king was such a revelation to the Ottawa resident, who makes use of they/them pronouns, that they instantly began dreaming up a male persona, who got here to be often called the dashing and charismatic Cyril Cinder.
“It was lower than two months after seeing drag in particular person for the very first time that I used to be performing in drag for the very first time,” mentioned LeBlanc,a Canterbury theatre grad who’s now a registered psychotherapist specializing in trauma.
Their stage character was impressed by the notion of “healthful masculinity” as personified by folks like Gerard Approach, the singer of one in every of LeBlanc’s favorite bands, My Chemical Romance, and a rock star identified for his help of feminism.
“My first method to Cyril was, ‘Who would I be if I didn’t care what anyone else thought? If I used to be completely uninhibited and free?’ so I went for the punk-emo model that my mother by no means let me gown up as once I was youthful, with dyed hair and piercings,” LeBlanc defined. “I needed to merge the redefinition of what masculinity will be with efficiency artwork.”
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Within the eight years since Cyril Cinder was created, he’s gained a number of titles and competitions, together with Mr. Capital Satisfaction 2019, and has turn out to be an advocate for queer rights, psychological well being help and different social-justice points. He’s additionally one of many judges for the Capital Pageant on Aug. 25.
The pageant is a signature occasion of the comeback version of the Capital Satisfaction competition, which begins Saturday and runs till Aug. 28. The truth that it’s happening on the Nationwide Arts Centre’s Southam Corridor, arguably probably the most prestigious venue within the metropolis, displays not solely the rising mainstream reputation of drag but additionally the vibrancy of the Ottawa neighborhood.
In contrast to the tv franchise, which doesn’t enable kings to compete, the Ottawa competitors consists of classes for queens, kings and non-gender particular drag artists. This 12 months’s lineup options 20 performers, starting from star-studded queens like Icesis Couture and Kiki Coe to up-and-coming kings equivalent to Axel Lightning and Oliver Twisted.
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“Will probably be the biggest pageant we’ve ever hosted,” famous Toby Whitfield, Capital Satisfaction’s govt director. “It’s all about celebrating native artists and drag performers, and creating moments to carry folks collectively, and to showcase and create alternatives for artists and performers.”
Along with the pageant, the competition options an expanded (and free) avenue social gathering on Financial institution Avenue the weekend of Aug. 26-28, an formidable public-art mission that entails six installations in Centretown, an Aug. 28 parade, and a slew of household actions, together with a picnic on Aug. 21 and Drag Story Time on Aug. 23 on the NAC. (Go to capitalpride.ca for full particulars).
LeBlanc, who will carry Cyril Cinder to the story-time occasion, believes it’s helpful for youngsters to see drag performers in an age-appropriate method. It’s one thing LeBlanc, who was born and raised in Ottawa, would have appreciated of their childhood.
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“Normally drag is confined to 19+ venues and sadly that blocks out younger folks from experiencing it,” LeBlanc says, “so Story Time turns into a chance to have interaction folks of all ages. We learn some great tales which are about love and self-acceptance and braveness and different issues we need to encourage, and we’re there to indicate them we’re not scary. We’re folks.”
One other factor that LeBlanc likes to share with audiences is the historic cause that Ottawa’s Satisfaction occasions happen in August as an alternative of June, when most different Satisfaction festivals are scheduled. Whereas June marks the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York Metropolis, August is the month that the combat for homosexual rights got here to Canada.
A protest remembered because the We Demand rally occurred on Parliament Hill on Aug. 28, 1971, drawing consideration to a doc that laid out 10 ways in which Canadian legal guidelines and insurance policies ought to be modified to eradicate systemic discrimination of LGBTQ people, from permitting army service to making sure the identical rights and privileges as the remainder of society. It took years, however finally the amendments have been made.
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Nonetheless, homophobia continues to rear its ugly head, as demonstrated this week when Alex Munter, CEO of CHEO, tweeted that he’d been subjected to a hateful slur whereas strolling his son to daycare, framing the incident as a cause to help the Satisfaction competition. To LeBlanc, the sentiment is unfortunately acquainted.
“Once we stay via that on daily basis, it’s essential to have a second once we can come collectively and be celebrated. Satisfaction isn’t just a avenue social gathering or a spot for companies to spend cash in an effort to get homosexual shopper {dollars}, it’s additionally a protest and an avenue for advocacy in order that members of the neighborhood and the allies that help us can say we’ve got every others’ backs as a result of not everybody does,” LeBlanc mentioned.
“I lengthy for the day when Satisfaction isn’t related,” they added, “when it’s not distinctive to be a queer particular person in our neighborhood. We’re not there but … even in a really progressive and usually protected metropolis like Ottawa.”
