Drag Syndrome's kings and queens ooze star power

[NelsonG]

"Baby, I am never afraid of anything,” Justin Bond, otherwise known as “King Justin Bond,” tells me over the phone. 

Bond is on a train, traveling from London to Brighton for an upcoming performance. It’s one of the multiple drag shows he has scheduled for that month. Over the din of the train’s engine, Bond shouts words of encouragement to his fellow drag queens and kings on the train. He is confident, insisting he doesn't have any pre-show jitters.

In fact, nothing seems to deter Bond, at least not publicly: not the elaborate configuration of his painted-on facial hair ("I love the make-up!" Bond says), not his upcoming performance, which involves elaborate choreography ("I always rock it and smash it"), and most importantly, not the fact that he has Down syndrome. Read more...

More about Down Syndrome, Drag, Identities, Culture, and Identities

View the full article