Teen drag star Minor Disappointment is about to sashay into a new era: adulthood
Already a 5-year veteran of the art, we join the performer to celebrate their 19th birthday party
Minor Disappointment 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.
Minor Disappointment has been performing drag since they were 14 years old. This past winter, they turned 19, which might suggest they might need a name change — they're no longer a minor!
"Turning 19 does feel special," Minor says, "now that I'm able to engage with drag in a way that I couldn't before. Because I started drag so young, I've been kind of conservative with my expression in a way to protect myself. I felt like I had to be very careful as to what I said and what I wore. Now that I'm 19, I'm looking forward to just giving my full creative and artistic expression to everything!"
We're looking forward to seeing what Minor has in store for us in this new, of-age era, and we were quite honoured to be invited to celebrate with them. That's because Minor let us join in on their 19th birthday party in this stunning new episode of Canada's a Drag.
Episode Director and Producer: Eva Anandi Brownstein
Episode Cinematogapher: Avery Holliday
Episode Sound Recordist: David Elias Daoud Evia
Episode Editor: Carmen Pollard
Episode Stills Photographer: Morgan Tams
Post Production Audio Engineer: Ron Searles
Post Production Colourist: Scott McIntyre
Packaging Editor: Chelle Turingan
Titles Designer: Hope Little
Series Co-Creators & Producers: Mercedes Grundy and Peter Knegt
Senior Producer, Unscripted Video: Lucius Dechausay
Special Consultants: Rose Butch, Gay Jesus and Sarah Worthman
Thanks to Lou Walker, Ray McEachern & The Birdhouse
Minor Disappointment defines themselves as a non-binary, trans-masculine drag artist and performer. Their art revolves around exploring trans expression and producing meaningful work through "an entertaining and often comedic lens."
When they are performing, Minor describes time as feeling "nonexistent."
"I live this full fantasy," they say. "It's walking art, everything from head to toe. There's no worry in my mind when I'm Minor."
When Minor first transitioned back in 2016, things were not easy. They describe the gender dysphoria they felt at the time as "very horrible."
"It was like living in someone that I didn't know, in someone else's house," they say. "Having access to gender-affirming care helped me kind of paint a new exterior for the house. To have medical and mental health help during such a turbulent time in your life, it's necessary. It helped me immensely. I couldn't imagine going through my transition without it."Drag was also a huge help when Minor started officially performing three years into their transition. Although, the persona lived within them long before that.
"Minor has existed since the moment I was born," they say. "I learned to put words to it as I discovered drag."
Long live Minor Disappointment — even if they're not so minor anymore.
Follow Minor Disappointment on Instagram and watch all of our released episodes of Canada's a Drag on the CBC Arts YouTube channel.
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