Miss Juwanna deWitt is a 77-year-old drag queen on a mission to help us all love ourselves

Miss Juwanna deWitt is just one of the many extraordinary subjects featured in the fourth season of Canada's a Drag, a docu-series from CBC Arts that shines a light on some of this country's drag heroes.

Few exemplify the idea that it is never too late to start over more powerfully than Miss Juwanna deWitt. At 77 years old, she is one of the oldest regularly performing drag artists in the country. And she's on a mission to build bridges, break down walls and deliver a message about overcoming fear and finding hope. 

"The only way out of fear is through fear," says deWitt, quoting the old adage. "And I absolutely agree with it. It doesn't mean that we have to flagellate ourselves. It means that we have to honour ourselves. When we go through fear, we love ourselves the most."

Miss deWitt knows a thing or two about going through fear and finding self-love. Her story is a remarkably inspiring one that she has so graciously shared with us in her episode of Canada's a Drag:

Despite being well into her eighth decade out of drag, the conception of Miss Juwanna deWitt actually only occurred a few years ago. In 2020, Brian Cope had just come out as a gay man after ending a 24-year marriage to a woman.

"I could not allow my marriage to continue into its 25th anniversary," he says. "The woman I married was the sister of my best friend. There was a safeness to that. She was a nice person. She was kind. We started to date and we got married in a year. I was completely distracted by the fact that I might be gay. I was so scared, like, 'What kind of god is gonna make me end my marriage and be a gay man?' But that's what I am."

Cope found his way to who he was, in part, through finding Juwanna. A friend gave him an orange kaftan, and he paired it with a big wig and a string of pearls. Before he knew it, Juwanna was born.

"I had learned that if I didn't face fear and move on to the next thing, that I could be pretty sure what my life was going to be," she says. "I knew I would quite likely be living a sour, unrewarded life."

Now, Juwanna is living about as far from such a life as it gets. She has become a community leader, performing on stages and screens, producing her own shows and getting deeply involved in volunteer work, particularly for queer seniors. In her episode of Canada's a Drag, we follow Miss deWitt as she puts on a show for residents of the Rekai Centre, a Toronto longterm care home with a dedicated LGBTQ wing (believed to be the first of its kind in North America).

"My thing is about connecting with people," she says. "And I just use [drag] as a crutch to go and find a way to connect to people."

Whether it's a crutch or not, what Juwanna is doing extends well beyond her simply connecting with people. She's also making them feel seen.

Follow Miss Juwanna deWitt on Instagram and watch all of our released episodes of Canada's a Drag on the CBC Arts YouTube channel.