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Members of the LGBTQ+ community share their life journey and thoughts onToronto’s Gay Village

Writer: victoria hincapie gomezvictoria hincapie gomez

Updated: Jan 25, 2024


By Victoria Hincapie Gomez

Sat.,Jan.14, 2023


Two members of Toronto LGBTQ+ community say Gay Village has given them the

space to feel safe within a city that has not been entirely supportive or inclusive.


Victor Keita, aka Naomi Leone, is a 32-year old drag performer from Sierra Leone,

who moved to Toronto in 2012. Since then, Keita was been modeling men’s clothing

for FAT(Fashion Art Toronto) on numerous occasions and performs in drag as

Naomi Leone in drag venues around Gay Village such as Woody’s, The Drink, and

Crews&Tangos.



Photo by: Fabian DiCorcia


Keita says he was drawn to start doing drag upon his arrival to Toronto, when he

discovered some legendary drag queens performing in Gay Village.


’’I felt inspired by watching legendary drag queens in our community like Michelle

Ross. She paved the way and I remember starting drag and looking at her

wondering, is that Diana Ross? It was incredible, I was watching an artform and as I

was watching her, I told myself I think I could do this,’’ he says.


Keita eventually became a known drag queen and member of a staple drag house in

Gay Village, the Haus Of Darlin. Some of his many achievements are partnering up

with the LCBO in a campaign for Pride Month earlier this year, being the longest

reigning queen of El Convento Rico pageant and having a photo shoot with local

photographer, Fabian DiCorcia.


Keita won the El Convento Rico pageant in 2019, a known drag pageant that has

been running in Toronto for the last 30 years. Keita says that despite being the

longest reigning queen due to COVID-19 he feels honored to have carried the title

recently passed to Miss Shay Dee.


’’El Convento Rico pageant is about being your authentic self, showing your art, and

about showcasing the audience that part of you as a drag queen. It was a blessing, I

worked my ass off for that title and I am honored to have earned it, especially

because I have seen many of my peers, so many talented people, who have

participated in this pageant over 30 years. So winning it, and having the longest

reigning ever has been an amazing journey, I have grown and learned a lot about

myself,’’ he says.


Keita says he was shocked by the opportunity to partnering up with the LCBO and

having a photoshoot with Fabian DiCorcia within the span of two weeks.


‘’ It left like it was destiny for my growth, having those experiences allowed me to be

comfortable around cameras and taught me a lot of professionalism,’’ he says.


Keita says that although drag has become mainstream and more doors have been

open for drag performers like himself both within and beyond Gay Village, there must

be more diversity in the drag community and opportunities for newcomers.


’’ Drag is for everybody, there should be more opportunities for drag queens that are

just starting. I want all sorts of art forms represented, for there to be more trans and

drag king representation within the drag community,’’ he says.


Keita says that apart from having more diversity in the drag community, queens

should support each other more.


”Sometimes It’s hard to be a drag queen in this community, there is a lot of

competition going on, everyone wants to be the best, and that creates this lack of

support system with each other. We need to lift us up, not down. I wish we could

support each other more, without judgment,” he says.




Joshua Hughes, aka Star, is a 23 year-old drag performer of Filipino and Scottish

lineage, who started doing drag while studying in York University among his drag

sisters Aurora matrix and Aurelie Talented in 2019.



Photo by : Quinton Cruickshanks



Like Keita, Hughes began working in multiple drag venues inside and outside Gay

Village, after being an spectator first.


’’I discovered Gay Village after high school in 2017, this was the year after I attended

my first Pride. I remember being so fascinated by the Village, and I really enjoyed

going to the drag bars,’’ he says.


Hughes says this discovery meant so much, after years of feeling he wasn’t in the

right place.


’’This meant the world to me because finally, I had found a safe space. I remember

going to ‘straight clubs’ with my friends, and feeling unsafe and out of place. In Gay

Village finally, there was a place for me, and all my friends, straight or not to finally

go and feel safe and have a good time without fear of not being able to be

ourselves,’’ he says.


Hughes says this unsafe feeling he felt in ‘straight clubs’ is because Toronto as a

whole is not very accepting of the queer community.


“ I believe that the village is the safest place and where drag, and queer people are

the most accepted. I think that overall most of Toronto is not familiar with what drag

really is and the many queer identities that are in the LGBTQ +community.

Hopefully one day all Toronto and Ontario will be familiar and accepting of drag performers

and queer people,’’ he says.


Hughes says he grew up watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, and that was what inspired

him to start doing drag.


“I was in high school and I was always doing make-up, styling wigs, and I loved

making my own costumes for Halloween so I decided to finally put myself out there

after going to Theatre School and having experience with dancing, and performing to

finally do drag,” he says.


Hughes says he has achieved some dream goals, since he started doing drag.


“ I am proud of getting signed to my agency Lavender Promotions, an agency

specialized in queer talent and event management. I am also very proud that I

recently released my very own original song, Shiny, now streaming on Spotify and

Apple Music, and all other streaming platforms,’’ he says.


Hughes says he sees Gay Village as his home, and that although there is more

diversity nowadays, there still room for change.


“ As a working drag queen in Gay Village I’ve noticed that it has become very white

washed, and they book a lot of white performers. I think that drag and overall the non

mainstream and mainstream queer community should have a more diverse range of

representatives,’’ he says.


Instagram handle of both interviewees

- Naomi Leone: @naomileone_

- Star:@ theequeenstar


Hope you enjoyed this article that I decided to showcase in my blog, as much as I loved writing it. Feel free to comment by downloading the Wix app and follow my Instagram account at @victoria_hincapie



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