When we think of a drag queen, we’re thinking of adults, but there is one kid who is proving that we can be totally fabulous at any age.
Meet Desmond Napoles, who at just 11 years old is a drag superstar and an LGBTQ activist from New York City. His first notable break came in 2014 when he danced alongside B-52’s lead singer, Fred Schneider, in “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Jinkx Monsoon’s music video “The Bacon Shake.” In 2015, a video of Desmond voguing in the NYC Pride parade went viral. He now performs regularly at clubs and events like NYC Pride and RuPaul’s DragCon.
Image courtesy – metro.co.uk
When he was six, he got his first princess gown in the style of Frozen’s Elsa which made him want to dress up outside his home too.
Parents always want the best for their children, and even though we may all live in different places or have different lifestyles, that is something that every mom and dad has in common. They want them to be on a good path, follow their hearts, and go after whatever dreams they feel are the right ones. His mother Wendy had some qualms but decided to let him do what made him happy. And so began “Desmond Is Amazing” – his drag act.
Image courtesy – metro.co.uk
His stage name is also the same name as his Instagram account, which has over 139 k followers. He posts on a regular basis and it’s a great place to follow his journey (and his fabulous outfits).
While older people are called drag queens, Desmond likes being called a “drag kid.”
As Abc News 7 reported, “Desmond prefers to be called a ‘drag kid,’ rather than a ‘drag queen,’ although he is accepting of the fact that the media almost exclusively refers to him as an ’11-year old drag queen.’ He believes that the term ‘queen’ should be reserved for adult drag performers.”
When asked about how he got into drag, Desmond said, “When I was two years old I used to take my mum’s heels, bed sheets, towels or even cardboard and put them on my body to make pretend dresses and on my head to make pretend wigs. I loved playing dress up. Sometimes my mum would be watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and I would stop playing with my toys and watch it with her. I thought the drag queens were so beautiful and amazing and I said ‘I want to do that!’. So I just kept dressing up and it’s what I like to do.”
Image courtesy – metro.co.uk
Desmond moves through life with infectious confidence and inspires others with his motto, “be yourself always, no matter what,” he tells CNBC. To any bullies and haters, and there have been many, Desmond says he pays them no attention because “they’re not as fierce as you and I.”
Desmond’s talents don’t stop with performing and public speaking, he acted in an independent movie called “Pageant Material,” which is now in post-production. He modeled during New York Fashion Week at the fall 2018 Gypsy Sport show. He is releasing a single called “We Are All Amazing” and writing a children’s book.
RuPaul once called Desmond “the future of America,” and Desmond takes the title seriously, after all, it came from his original drag inspiration.
Source – moms.com, cnbc.com, metro.co.uk
About the Author
FSOG
Fifty Shades of Gay believes in a fair and equal India where everyone can achieve their full potential, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity.
