Young drag queens and kings find community and confidence at University of Waterloo drag club

By day, Cat McRitchie studies science at the University of Waterloo. But on Tuesday nights, Texas-born McRitchie takes on the persona of Dallas Ryder: a drag king complete with eyeshadow stubble and excellent posture.

"[Dallas] is a fancy, sad emotional boy," McRitchie said of the persona. "He's just more open and I guess more confidently expressed than I am."

Tuesdays are when McRitchie and around a dozen fellow members of the University of Waterloo Drag Club meet and rehearse in an empty classroom of a math and computer science building.

Drag club members perform at regular shows both on and off-campus. Meetings also feature makeup tutorials, video screenings and drag-related discussions for those who aren't interested in being onstage, or who simply aren't ready.

"We try to make it fun for everyone," said McRitchie​​​​​, who uses the pronouns they/them.

'All of us are going to accept them'

A recent meeting kicked off with a round of introductions that included names, drag names — such as Panic at the Binary and Victor Straddle — and pronouns.

The introductions help newcomers get familiar with other members, and give members a chance to try out new names and pronouns in a comfortable environment.

"People feel comfortable enough … to tell a room full of people, because they know that all of us are going to accept them," said McRitchie​​​​. 

English literature student Adrian Quijano, who performs as drag king Manny Manila, says being part of the club helped him come into himself. When he first joined the club two years ago, Quijano said he was shy, quiet and didn't have many queer friends.

"I was definitely not openly trans or like really that confident," said Quijano. "It wasn't until I started doing drag that it helped me realize, 'Oh maybe like I'm doing this because I identify as a guy, and I want to look like that all the time.'"

"It just made me more confident to be who I am."

Bailey Girard chose the drag king persona "Hudson Bae" to celebrate Canadian music. Girard is newer to the club and performed for the first time this fall to the song "One Week" by the Barenaked Ladies.  

"My knees were shaking so badly from nerves that I had to keep walking around in order to make it not look like I was going to fall over at any given moment," said Girard.

"It was so much fun."

Drag not just for queens, members say

The drag characters Dallas Ryder, Manny Manila and Hudson Bae have in common the fact that their names are based on locations with a personal connection. The three of them are also drag kings.

Although drag kings have historically had less mainstream recognition compared with drag queens, McRitchie said the club wants to open audiences' eyes to different kinds of drag.

"We have a lot of a lot of kings and a lot of non-binary characters and also a lot of queens, so we have a huge variety here which I don't think that a lot of people see like in the media," McRitchie said.

Girard said she noticed that diversity when she went to her first show in the fall.  

"Immediately when you go to a show you know what the club stands for. Like, it's very obvious that we're meant to be more inclusive of everyone," said Girard.

As McRitchie wraps up their undergrad and prepares to enter pharmacy school, they hope that the club continues to grow in the years to come.

"As word gets more out there I hope that it encourages more people to come, because it's a really lovely space and it's a really fun activity."

Quijano agrees. He also has a word of advice for prospective drag kings and queens just starting university: get started early.

"I just wish that could have happened sooner for me," he said. "If I had this in first year I would have felt like way more comfortable."