Toronto sapphics celebrate the Halloween season with a haunting drag extravaganza
Drag kings Andy Fetamean and Coyote Ugly stand in front of the crowd at Three Dollar Bill.
Directed, produced and filmed by Medea Faulkner
Edited by Dylan Thomson
This past October, drag hosts Persimmon Rouge and President Bush drove the Mystery Machine over to Three Dollar Bill where they split up to interview sapphic drag performers throughout the night. This 18 minute documentary explores how sapphic community members are forging spaces in Tkaronto dedicated to lesbians, sapphics, drag kings and every other person who has felt shunned by the mainstream Church Street crowd.
“Spooky Sapphics” was an event put together by Gender Tomfoolery and Sapphics Raise the Bar on Oct. 22. Gender Tomfoolery is a collective of trans and gender-nonconforming performers who spread queer joy and express rage through the art of clowning. Sapphics Raise the Bar is a collective whose mission is to bring sapphics back to Tkaronto’s Gay Village by creating and uplifting sapphic, trans and POC events, spaces and artists on Church Street and beyond.
These community-led drag spaces are beyond essential to fill in the gaps. There is and will always be a home for sapphic drag performers in the city.
This documentary features key interviews with the event organizers Andy Fetamean and Avery Droumtsekas. It also includes video footage of performances by and interviews with Archie Called, Conjunctivitis, Dykeotomi, Fatima Noor El Deen Mahmoud, Felon Love and Malakai Batz. With additional performances by Beau Napetite, Will to Power and Coyote Ugly.
A special thanks to the lovely butch host, President Bush and the hostess more eminently known as the Empress of the Underworld, Persimmon Rouge.
This event also partnered with Help Sondos (@helpsondos), a community-led campaign to support a family of 13 in Gaza — follow their account on Instagram and donate if you’re able.
