This gender-fluid youngster stood up to hate at DragCon 2018
He’s 11-years-old and he’s as fierce as any cast member in RuPaul’s Werk Room. His name is Desmond Napoles and during DragCon 2018 he fearlessly stood up to protestors standing outside the Los Angeles Convention Center who tried to intimidate attendees with their vehement hatred.
Desi, as he is nicknamed, gave as much as the picketers did, but his was a message of inclusion. Clad in a hot pink skirt, drag makeup, heels and a Japanese fan, Desi challenged the haters in a verbal and pride-filled showdown.
Numerous videos of the impasse have been posted to his Desmond is Amazing Facebook account. One of his videos already reaching over 14K views.
But this tyke is used to being himself, he’s been an inspiration since the day he was born which happened to be during NYC Pride Week in 2007.
He jokingly clams his birthplace and time makes him “a member of the Village People by default.”
Already a drag superstar under the name Desmond is Amazing, this pint-sized performer takes to the stage to entertain audiences. He is also the first person to ever create a kid’s drag collective called Haus of Amazing.
We caught up with this larger-than-life activist and asked him a few questions about his fierceness and where he goes from here.
San Diego Gay and Lesbian News: What was your favorite part of DragCon Desi?
Desmond: My favorite part of DragCon was when I got to walk in the Kid’s Runway Fashion Show hosted by Detox and Latrice Royale. It was really inspiring to see little kids younger than me dressing up and shantay sashaying the runway.
Where you scared to stand up to those men with bullhorns at DragCon?
Never. I think that RuPaul’s DragCon is a place of positivity and love and not a place for negativity. DragCon is a safe space and hate isn’t welcome. I just said “Bye Felicia!” to those haters and fanned them away with my limited edition “Drag Slayer” fan from Daftboy (available early June).
What advice would you give to kids who are struggling to be who they are but can’t because of parents, or religion or where they live?
If someone is struggling I think they need to remember that they aren’t doing anything wrong, or are a sin, or are disgusting. They should be themselves and try to find ways to express themselves, because when you express yourself you feel free and you don’t feel depressed or suicidal. They need to find a safe space to go, like a friend’s house who accepts them for who they are or to a LGBTQ+ center where they have programs that can help.
You’re already more mature than most kids your age, but I want to ask what do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be exactly what I am right now. I’ll still be doing drag and being a LGBTQ+ advocate.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
I really like music class where we are learning to play the piano.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like to play video games, reading, and sleeping. I like to play with trains and draw pretend subway maps. Now that the weather is nice, I like to go to the playground or to the zoo or museums, especially The Met.
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Desmond, you really are amazing and we cannot wait to see how you change the world with your superpowers of fierceness!
You can follow Desmond on Facebook HERE. And on Instagram HERE.
