For two hours Tuesday afternoon, two fierce queens took over the stage at Humber North's Student Centre. Drag artists Ivory Towers and Paris Matik danced, lip synced and donned flamboyant dresses, much to the joy of the audience who danced and sang along with them.
They highlighted Humber's third annual Drag Show which celebrated diversity and inclusivity. Some people in the audience had a chance to dance on stage and with the performers. Students and staff even got to take pictures with the queens.
Paris Matik, a Latina performer and artist, came to Toronto in 2021 to study business at Seneca College. She grew up in a Catholic and conservative household and wasn’t exposed to Drag culture.
Around her early teenage years was when questions about sexuality started to open up, Matik said.
When she opened up to her family about her true identity and what she does, her family was accepting and maintained a good relationship.
However, Matik still encountered some challenges.
“There were times where I was feeling guilty for not being able to be what my parents and my family expected me to be,” she said. “So I would just say, give yourself grace and learn to love yourself, even if it's just quietly.”
Performing at school gives Matik a sense of nostalgia since she remembers what it’s like watching Drag Queens when she was in college.
“When I was back in Seneca and this was during the pandemic time, I remember watching Priyanka and Juice Boxx on a little Zoom show and I was inspired by it,” she said.
It gave her the courage to start performing, and now, she's performing to help students.
“This is a pretty open and accepting city and country in general,” Matik said. “So being able to go to a school like Humber and perform in the middle of their campus feels like such an amazing opportunity for me to reach [out to] people who are looking for that inspiration that I was looking for a couple of years ago when I was in school.”
Felipe Nogueira-Rodini, an exchange student from Brazil, said attending and participating in the Drag Show makes him feel accepted and supported.
“Back home, we don’t really have these types of events on campus,” he said. “I feel really welcomed and I love seeing the girls (Drag Queens) getting their cash and being supported as well.”
Jordyn Dadam, a first-year student in the Hotel and Restaurant Operations Management program, had a dance battle on stage with Nogueira-Rodini and she agreed with what he said.
“This is the first event that I’ve been to and honestly it was great,” she said. “I love how interactive and welcoming it was and I really enjoyed winning the [dance battle] as well.
It was a confidence boost for Dadam and having a large community accepting everyone made her feel comfortable.
Kimberly Daniels, the manager of Student Inclusion and Belonging, said events like the Drag Show are created to give people a meaningful experience and to deepen a sense of belonging at school.
“The institution is deeply committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment [for the] community members, students, staff [and] faculty,” she said. “We want them to feel valued, respected, supported, and like they belong.”
Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber co-created an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) action plan called Building Connections. It focuses on inclusive campus culture and organizational leadership, equitable student success, EDIB curriculum innovation, and community engagement and collective action, Daniels said.
Building Connections EDIB action plan was launched in September 2024, and it gave equity hubs and the Humber community a chance to be heard, she said.
“They get to speak on topics that matter to them and what they want to see within the Humber community,” Daniels said.
