Born and raised in Fort-Coulonge, organizer Matthew Thomas wanted to bring drag performers to his hometown. “It’s been something that’s been on my mind” but never felt like it was the right time up until now.

For Thomas, it all started with an idea he had shared with a friend and after some positive feedback and support from local businesses he knew he could do this. “I really wanted something small, especially for the first edition, intimate as well, and I thought Café Downtown would be a perfect place”

Growing up in his hometown he felt there wasn’t enough representation for the LGBTQ2+ community and by organizing this event he feels “it’s also educating people that there’s more out there,” said Thomas.

Thomas, who is a program administrator for the department of medicine at the Ottawa hospital, has been organizing events, throwing fundraisers and finding ways to give back to his community for a long time. It is something he is passionate about. Although he hasn’t lived in his hometown since leaving college at the age of 17, “I still have Coulonge at heart,” he said.

What people might not know about drag performances is that it’s not all celebrity impersonations, it is an art form said Thomas and a lot of work goes into the preparation of shows. People can expect dancing, comedy and a whole lot more, he said.

Kimmy Couture, an Ottawa-based performer, said drag is a form of activism and advocacy for her. As a Trans-woman, she feels that the Trans community in drag is “underrepresented” and women like herself tend to be left out, and their drag not taken seriously.

Couture said oftentimes people are stuck in the mindset that “drag is all about gender illusion” and it’s about portraying the opposite gender. But on the contrary, “drag is an art form. You show it how you want it to be,” said Couture.

“Dance has always been my passion,” said Couture and so that is one thing you can expect from this drag queen on Nov. 27 and Dec. 3

With an outpouring of support from community members, Thomas was mostly surprised that the event caught the eye of many people and tickets for both shows sold out in 35 minutes, “it’s not just the younger generations, the 20s. It goes all the way up to like 50s, 60s, so it’s pretty beautiful to see that we’re at a time and age in 2021 where people are open to this.”

He also wants to thank his sponsors for supporting this event and helping him make his dream a reality.

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