From dad to drag: How Jada Yee supports his queer kids as Chyna B. Deadly
'I didn't want to be seen as that straight saviour': Yee says queer community welcomed him
It's a Saturday night and Chyna B. Deadly is strutting, jumping, dancing and lip-syncing to Lady Gaga's latest single, Abracadabra. She's dressed in a plunging glittery gown and high heels, surrounded by people singing along, dancing and waving money at her.
Chyna is a drag queen and her adoring fans are attending the Sweet N Sticky Pride event on June 14 at The Exchange in Regina.
But during the day, you'd know her as Jada Yee: a tall, broad businessman, usually wearing a suit.
Yee's alter ego and stage name is a blend of his Chinese and Indigenous heritages.
You might assume, because Yee is a drag queen, that he's gay. He's not.
He's straight, married to a woman and has four children, two of whom are transgender.
"My children are my life," he told Sam Maciag in this week's episode of the This is Saskatchewan podcast.
"Everything I want to do is to show them that they're loved and appreciated. I try to see things through their eyes. That's what makes me a better person."
In 2023, Yee was invited to participate in Walk the Walk, a drag queen fundraiser that raises money by putting local celebrities and change makers in drag. They learn how to work it, then do so in front of a crowd, with proceeds from the event going to Lulu's Lodge, an organization that provides support to young queer and transgender people who've been kicked out of their homes.
When his daughter Jill revealed herself to be transgender in her late 20s, Yee committed to being a better ally. He joined support groups for parents, saying it was really important for her to know that he had her back.
When his son revealed himself to also be transgender a few years later, Yee said he was better prepared to support him and be a good parent.
"I think [our relationship] got better because it allowed me to really be more open with them," he said.
When Yee hit that stage as Chyna for the first time in 2023, it was supposed to be a one and done performance. But one of the other queens approached him.
"She was crying and she said, 'I wish you were my dad.' It was so emotional … and then afterwards, the group came up to me and they said, 'You should continue doing this,'" said Yee.
"That's the reason why I continue to do it, because I actually got permission. I felt like I got validated by them."As a straight, cisgender man, Yee said he's cognizant of his place in the community.
"We've always kind of dealt with the pretendians, right? And the white knights that say, 'I'm here to save you.' I didn't want to be seen as that straight saviour of the community. And I'm very open about that as well. But they were very welcoming and said, no, no, no, like, you're part of us."
Yee said that every time he steps into his heels and transforms into Chyna, he sees it as a commitment to be visible, vocal and an ally.
That's something the 2SLGBTQ+ community needs, according to Tyler Babiy, a queer content creator and social media strategist in Saskatoon. That, and more supportive parents.
"I think lots of time when we talk about allyship, we focus on the rainbow sticker on the front of a business or social media posts. But I think oftentimes we don't focus on some of the allyship that happens within families, and within friends, and within interpersonal relationships," he said on CBC Radio's Blue Sky.
"Just being supportive to friends and family, just on a one-to-one level in a group level, a family setting – those things are really huge."
Babiy said Pride events are just part of the ally experience, but the work continues year-round. His company, Social Made Local, makes clothing focused on creativity, representation and visibility.
"If you're wearing a Pride shirt and somebody comes into your place of business and they are a queer person, they see your T-shirt, it's just a visual signal for them that they can feel comfortable," he said. "It also just normalizes queerness."
For people learning how to be an ally, Saskatoon counsellor Niko Alexander said the key is to learn to de-centre yourself — not to make it about you, especially when you make mistakes.
"Accept that you're going to mess up … you're going to make mistakes. You're going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable," he said, adding that over-apologizing when you make those mistakes is an example of making it about you.
"Just say, 'Sorry, I'll do better,' and then move right on with the conversation."
This story is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your connection to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, we cover local issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping policy and fuelling creativity in Saskatchewan.
Tune into This is Saskatchewan every Wednesday and Friday on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
