Growing up, Ella Lamoureux always had a fascination with drag B次元官网网址� she described it as an escapism that allowed her to experiment more with her femininity.

B次元官网网址淏ut I never wanted to do drag because I had this sense of shame of femininity because I always dressed a bit feminine,B次元官网网址� said Lamoureux, whose B次元官网网址渃olonial nameB次元官网网址� is Dustin Dufault.

B次元官网网址淢y father essentially was like, B次元官网网址楾his is who you canB次元官网网址檛 be.B次元官网网址� So, anytime I wanted to do drag, I just pushed it aside B次元官网网址� this isnB次元官网网址檛 something that I want to do.B次元官网网址�

Originally from Ross River, Yukon, Lamoureux is a member of the Kaska Dena First Nation and identifies as Two-Spirit, a term that refers to an Indigenous person who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit.

B次元官网网址淚 separated Dustin and Ella quite strongly when I was younger. OneB次元官网网址檚 the feminine side of me; oneB次元官网网址檚 the more masculine side of me,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淎s I became more accepting of myself and my culture, I realized that theyB次元官网网址檙e one and the same.B次元官网网址�

When she was 19, Lamoureux watched a performance by Two-Spirit drag queen Argentina Hailey in Calgary, with whom she recently performed at BanffB次元官网网址檚 Indigiqueer Drag Show on Oct. 9.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of my journey is because of seeing him,B次元官网网址� said Lamoureux.

In 2012, Lamoureux created a drag scene in Kelowna alongside her friend and fellow drag queen Sasha Zamolodchikova. Drag at first, Lamoureux said, was a way for her to explore and figure out who she was.

B次元官网网址淲hat I learned about myself is that I can embrace my femininity; thereB次元官网网址檚 no shame in it. There is power in obviously both sides of the spectrum B次元官网网址� masculine and feminine,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淏ut what IB次元官网网址檝e learned is just knowledge of myself.B次元官网网址�

Now, she said drag is a continuing example of who she is and who she can inspire.

B次元官网网址淚 like to inspire people,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪eeing a healthy Two-Spirit person excelling B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 what I want other Two-Spirit people to see.B次元官网网址�

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There are now around 30 drag performers B次元官网网址� both kings and queens B次元官网网址� in Kelowna who thrive off of the scene that Lamoureux helped create. One of them is fellow Indigenous drag queen Jenna Telz, whoB次元官网网址檚 also known as Grayson Nordgren.

In her debut performance in 2016, Telz won KelownaB次元官网网址檚 Next Drag Superstar, a competition that Lamoureux created. But in the summer of 2015, Telz, a queer person raised in a JehovahB次元官网网址檚 Witness household, was kicked out of her house by her parents at the age of 20.

B次元官网网址淚 basically started trying to do drag six months after I got kicked out. It was the thing that saved my life,B次元官网网址� said Telz.

B次元官网网址淏eing kicked out by my parents, I was so suicidal. I lost everything overnight B次元官网网址� I lost my family, my friends, my job, my home. It was really hard to build back from that. It was through drag that I was able to figure that out.B次元官网网址�

Similar to what Lamoureux had done, Telz further established a name for herself by organizing and hosting her own drag shows in town, which not only gave her the opportunity to perform but gave other queens a stage as well.

B次元官网网址淓lla created a platform for so many people to start drag, and eventually, those people created a space and an environment that I was able to start drag in,B次元官网网址� said Telz. B次元官网网址淚 went and did the same thing.B次元官网网址�

Born in Quesnel, Telz is Cree from the Papaschase First Nation in Edmonton, Alta. And while she said that she identifies as gay B次元官网网址渋n white terms,B次元官网网址� she also identifies as Two-Spirit.

B次元官网网址淏ut that term means something different for everyone. ItB次元官网网址檚 easiest for me to describe it as I identify as a gay man who dresses up in drag,B次元官网网址� said Telz.

Drag not only gave Telz control over her life, but she said that it gave her the confidence that she lost after being kicked out of her home.

B次元官网网址淕rowing up, being a JehovahB次元官网网址檚 Witness, there was a lot of things you canB次元官网网址檛 do because the religion says itB次元官网网址檚 a no-no,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淒rag, to me, was the complete opposite of that. That was embracing who I was for the first time and being able to express myself however I wanted to.B次元官网网址�

Both Telz and Lamoureux, the top-performing drag queens in Kelowna, are drag B次元官网网址渕othersB次元官网网址� running their own drag B次元官网网址渉ouses.B次元官网网址� The terms refer to pocket communities within drag, in which a drag mother takes a budding drag queen under their wing and mentors them.

B次元官网网址淵ou teach them etiquette, teach them manners or you help them with makeup. You help them along their drag journey,B次元官网网址� said Lamoureux.

B次元官网网址淚 have people that are under my belt that I help get into drag to help finesse their art, just like (Telz) has a lot of drag children under hers B次元官网网址� double what I have.B次元官网网址�

And while she dreams of being an internationally renowned drag queen someday, Lamoureux said that her goal is to become a Two-Spirit spokesperson in Canada in the future.

B次元官网网址淏ut I never wanted my drag to do that part. I do feel like my drag will eventually let me get to being a Two-Spirit talker across Canada, which IB次元官网网址檓 hoping is,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淏ut what I mean when I say I donB次元官网网址檛 want to get my drag involved is I donB次元官网网址檛 want to have to get into drag to have a Two-Spirit talk with someone. I want to be able to go as myself.B次元官网网址�

For Telz, she said that her favourite thing about being a drag queen is the platform it provides her to educate people on several topics that sheB次元官网网址檚 passionate about, including politics, Indigenous issues and the history of colonization.

Before the pandemic, she said she would meet with youth groups or high schools and share her experiences with them.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 someone with some pretty passionate views on things. I feel like, because IB次元官网网址檓 a drag queen, people listen to me and it gives me an opportunity to use my voice and help impact the world around me,B次元官网网址� said Telz.

And as a drag queen, she said that sheB次元官网网址檚 accomplished her biggest goal of making an impact. She described having 13 drag children and watching them do what they do as one of her biggest joys.

B次元官网网址淚 just honestly want to do this for as long as I can,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 think now, IB次元官网网址檓 more focused on myself and where I want to take my drag. I think my goal is the journey itself.B次元官网网址�

She added that itB次元官网网址檚 when people tell her that sheB次元官网网址檚 made a difference in their lives that makes her cry.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 why I do it. This is why I do it. ItB次元官网网址檚 for those moments,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the moments where IB次元官网网址檝e been able to empower someone or help someone else. Those are the moments I care about.B次元官网网址�

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