➤ CARIBBEAN DRAG, from p.16
that I have the opportunity to share
a bit of my culture through the music
and the dance moves that I use.”
Karma Sutra ( @queen.karma.
sutra)
Indo-Trinidadian
South Florida
“Caribbean drag artists, now more
than ever, must use their art to come
together to inspire and unite against
the global division of races as most
of us recognize that the Caribbean
is a melting pot of culture. It’s the
unique blend of people that make
us and our beautiful islands so special!”
Laila Gulabi (@lailagulabi)
Indo-Guyanese/ Mixed-Race
New York City
“Laila has never been vanilla —
with Laila, I draw from various aspects
of my mixed heritage through
music, dress, and jewelry. Performing
as Laila has helped me grow my
understanding and navigate being
Indo-Caribbean in predominantly
white settings. I like to think of my
PHOTO CARIBBEAN EQUALITY PROJECT
The King Ivy.
drag as invoking the thought of celebrating
and honoring my ancestors,
who traveled across the seas to
Guyana. My drag disturbs notions
of patriarchy, masculinity, gender,
and sexuality with colonial, hegemonic
origins in Caribbean communities.
Buss’ing down a fi ne whine
can be very impactful just like yuh
naani an’ auntie dem. My drag is
liberation and resistance to the various
manifestations of colonial and
post-colonial violence and trauma,
and I hope it paves the way for more
folx to fi nd themselves.”
The King Ivy (@thekingivy_)
Cuban, Puerto Rican, Guyanese
PHOTO CARIBBEAN EQUALITY PROJECT
Maria Venus Raj.
Brooklyn
“I’ve always been happy to represent
my culture in order to inspire
others to be fearless and free-spirited.
Growing up in a Latin household,
it was challenging to be gay. I
had to talk, act, and dress a certain
way. I was always scrutinized to do
better. So for me, drag is what gave
me back my voice to speak and say
this is my life, and this is who I am.
It was my drag point of view that
helped me reach a higher power in
hopes of inspiring other Latin Caribbean
queens to be different and do
whatever makes them happy.
Maria Venus Raj (@thevenusraj)
Indo-Guyanese moha
Trinidad and Tobago
“In Trinidadian politics, it’s sad
that LGBTQ rights are still characterized
as taboo. Two years after
the buggery law was challenged,
hate, ridicule, and discrimination
are still prevalent in society. Being
able to liberate myself and inspire
a lot of people to live their true life
is important. When I’m on stage,
performing or doing a photoshoot,
there is nothing but joy, confi dence,
and happiness that exudes in me.
Unfortunately, it’s something I can’t
do full-time in Trinidad because of
the negative view of the public and
the consequences that come along
with it.”
This project was curated by Ryan
Persadie and Mohamed Q. Aminof
the Caribbean Equality Project. Persadie
is an educator, drag artist,
and PhD candidate in Women and
Gender studies at the University of
Toronto.. To learn more about the
Caribbean Equality Project, connect
on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram
at @CaribbeanEqualityProject
and on Twitter@CaribEquality.
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GayCityNews.com | August 13 - August 26, 2020 17
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