On Thursday, June 13, the Halton Equity Diversity Roundtable (HEDR) and Drag Academy are presenting their Pride Lecture and Garden Soiree at the Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB), to be followed by Drag Family Day on June 15.
The evening soiree is a free event, which begins at 6 p.m. with registration and reception in AGB’s courtyard, followed by a lecture at 7 p.m., “on the idea of community and belonging to 2SLGBTQ+ community in particular” in the workplace, according to Daven Seebarran, HEDR’s manager. A number of drag artists will speak as part of the lecture, and HEDR has also partnered with EGALE Canada to bring one of their speakers for the lecture portion of the evening, for their expertise on equity-based work on a national level.
What follows will be a celebration of the art of drag, with the opportunity to get drag makeup tips from three local drag artists starting at 8 p.m., and drag performances at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. There will also be a cash bar.
DJ Astro will be on the turntables during the reception in the AGB courtyard, and later on in the evening, during the drag shows, so expect music, art, learning, and entertainment throughout the evening, as well as catering by Noushe at the reception.
Seebarran says that the purpose of the event is both to celebrate and educate, and HEDR works to present that educational piece in various ways in order to reach different people. “Lecture works well for some, but for others, an artistic activity or drag queens telling stories works well. … Storytelling is a really important thing.”
Seebarran notes that in creating these different experiences, like the Pride Lecture and Garden Soiree and Drag Family Day, it all comes down to “tying it back to what’s really important.” For Seebarran, and for HEDR as an organization, what’s important is inclusion and belonging — “Our mandate is driving change around EDI [equity, diversity, and inclusion] issues.”
And, of course, June is Pride Month, “So we’re looking to bring together folks from all parts of community, all of Halton, with the notion of belonging and community.”
Drag is a natural part of any Pride celebration, given drag artists’ history of activism in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and Seebarran has been working with the drag community for some time through his company, Drag Academy.
Drag Academy began during the pandemic as a way to help drag artists, whose whole industry was on pause at the time, by way of engaging their services to demonstrate drag makeup online. Since then, Drag Academy has worked to make a standard rate of pay for drag artists, who previously, depended largely on tips to make money.
Through Drag Academy, Seebarran has worked with many well-known drag artists, some of whom will be at the AGB on June 13, including Miss Fiercalicious, who was a contestant on season three of Canada’s Drag Race, Sanjina Dabish Queen, Deliah Doll, Cira Flexion, Guy Anabella, Molly Kewl, and drag king Manny Dingo. Kenadie St. James will host the evening drag shows on June 13.
While the evening event on June 13 is strictly for adults, June 15 is for families, because, as Seebarran says, “Drag is for everyone — but not all drag is for everyone.” Just like other forms of art and entertainment — think age ratings on movies and video games — there are drag shows meant for adults and drag shows that any age group can enjoy.
“This is to celebrate pride and family and diverse families. All parts of the community,” says Seebarran of Drag Family Day.
Drag Family Day will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on June 15, and is also a free event. The afternoon begins with an art-making session until 2 p.m. The AGB will provide the materials; families just have to bring themselves and their creativity. Then it’s drag storytime with drag queens Molly Kewl and Kamilla Flores, followed by a drag performance at 3:30 p.m.
“This is centred on great 1980s educational programming,” says Seebarran, referencing classic 80s shows like Mr. Rogers, Reading Rainbow, and the like. “We’re meeting children where they are, and we’ve run these for several years at the Museum of Contemporary Art, seen it work well in another artistic space, so we wanted to bring it to Burlington.”
Seebarran continues, regarding both the Pride Lecture and Garden Soiree and Drag Family Day, “It really is a celebration of pride and community belonging, because there aren’t many events like this in Burlington, and we want to give back, invite people to an event of art, community, and [to see] what make Burlington amazing.”
HEDR offers learning opportunities throughout the year, including their annual conference (this year at Milton’s Country Heritage Park on June 6), regular workshops and lunch-and-learn sessions, a September event centred on Indigenous people and Truth and Reconciliation, and more.
To attend the Pride Lecture and Garden Soiree on June 13, RSVP via the HEDR website (click here) or the Drag Academy website (click here); for Drag Family Day, go to the Drag Academy website to RSVP (click here).
