Celebrity

celebrity A new star on the rise Bahamian drag queen withstands backlash in pursuit of success

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

ANASTARZIA

Anaquway (Photo/ Canada’s Drag Race/Bell Media)

Bahamian drag queen and asylum recipient Anastarzia Anaquway has survived the first two episodes of the Canadian reality show “Canada’s Drag Race”. He has also survived discrimination, death threats and multiple gun shots wounds.

But Anastarzia, whose real name is Jermaine Aranha, has proved resilient.

The show he is now competing on was inspired by the immensely popular “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. It follows a group of drag queens as they compete for a grand prize of $100,000, a year of hotel stays courtesy of the Hilton brand, and the title of Canada’s First Drag Superstar.

Jermaine Aranha, 37, who currently lives in East York, Toronto, picked his stage name because it’s a mix of name Anastasia (stylised with a Z) and the word star.

In an interview for the show, he said: “I came into this with a very competitive nature because that is what I do. I am a pageant queen, I’m always competing. Sewing challenges, design challenges... that’s what I’m here for.

“After ‘Canada’s Drag Race’, oh baby, we’re celebrities now, we are international. This is major.”

“Having the ability to sew puts you at an advantage. My garments are fitted to a T. You know your body and you know how you want to look. My greatest asset is the fact that I am a self-sufficient queen.”

He added that what he loves most about the art of female impersonation is that at the end of the night “I get to take all this off and go back to being Jermaine.”

Anastarzia is the reigning Miss Black Continental and says from here on out the only way is up.

“After ‘Canada’s Drag Race’, oh baby, we’re celebrities now, we are international. This is major,” he said.

Jermaine is no stranger to the stage and has been doing drag for the past 17 years. He has won more than 15 pageants, including Miss Canada International, Miss Gay Toronto, and he is the reigning Miss Black Continental at Large.

“Most times I see pretty drag, and that’s all we aspire to be. Pretty drags. And then you come to Canada and you meet the bearded queens. You meet the club kids. You meet the showgirls. You meet the fish queens. You meet the hairy queens. And now in this competition, we have a drag clown. And, so Canada is sooooo interesting!”

Jermaine moved to Canada to seek asylum because of the harassment he said homosexuals and drag queens experience here in the Bahamas.

He claimed many of his friends were murdered as they left their homes and he himself was shot in the left arm, chest, and right kidney by two men standing in his driveway. Jermaine said he drove himself to the hospital and doctors doubted he would make it through the night. After recovering from that ordeal, he claimed asylum in Canada.

“Being on Drag Race is the culmination of an amazing 17-year career,” he said. “It allows me to represent all the little black boys and girls in Third World countries like the Bahamas that have huge dreams but no resources to make them a reality.”

Inspiring blind protagonist returns in Bahamian author’s mystery series

The ability she’s not hinbeaches dered by it and can are open even unravel puzand the zling mysteries that sun is might otherwise shining. It’s time remain unsolved. I to find that perfect sat there in the car, page-turner to relax pressed the record with as you lay button on my cell back in your lounge phone and created chair. So it’s lucky the plot.” that Bahamian Lucille’s litbest-selling author tle Shih Tzu dog Tanya R Taylor has Vanilla (”Nilla” for just released the short) also stars in latest instalment of the series. her cozy mystery “The real series. Vanilla, our pet,

“Blind Fury” is has been such a the fourth part in wonderful source of the Lucille Pfiffer inspiration for me Cozy Mystery Sewhile writing these ries and the writer’s books. I’ve learned 31st published book so much from her overall. before and during

The first book in the process,” said the Lucille Pfiffer Ms Taylor. Cozy Mystery In “Blind Fury”, Series is “Blind Sight”, the second BAHAMIAN author Tanya R Taylor Lucille Pfiffer suffers the unexpected “Blind Escape”, the blow of havand the third “Blind Justice”. The protagoing someone near and dear to her suddenly nist of the series is a blind woman and was disappear without a trace. Despite every inspired by an experience the author had effort by the Chadsworth police to locate her with her father. It’s a character which Ms missing loved one, they are met by a dead Taylor hopes will inspire readers who may end. Like Agatha Christie’s heroines and have their own challenges they have to Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote”, overcome. Lucille won’t sit idly by and hope the police

“My Lucille Pfiffer series stars an elderly can solve the case; she will use her unique woman who is totally blind from the physical skills to make sure the case is solved. standpoint; thus she has to live with a disNext up for Ms Taylor’s list is the release ability that many of us are not familiar with. of “Happy Town: Where Dogs Rule (A However, via other means, which she keeps Cozy Conspiracy)”, which will be released in a secret for the most part, she’s able to see August. After that will be “Reunion From things around her. As the protagonist of this Hell (The Cornelius Saga Book 14)”, to be story, I show her strength in spite of her disreleased in November. ability; the willingness for her to not just foUpon it’s debut, “Blind Fury” was incus on her issues, but stand up for the sake of cluded on Amazon’s hot new releases list in and fight for those she loves,” said Ms Taylor. the US, Australia, Canada and the UK. The “I hope Lucille’s life offers inspiration and book was also in the top 100 in Amazon US, hope to everyone who has to face some sort Australia and UK. of challenge in their lives, so that in spite of Asked if she planned to write more books shortcomings, they too can make a difference in the Lucille Pfiffer Cozy Mystery Series, in their society, just as Lucille does.” the author said: “I’m not quite sure yet at

Talking about how she came up with this point. I let the series lead me, but will idea for the Lucille Pfiffer series, the author have a better idea after I’ve completed the explained: “I guess the idea stemmed from next book.” the fact that my late father was dealing with Ms Taylor also writes the book series “Inglaucoma issues at the time and I was trying festation: A Small Town Nightmare”, “Real to find remedies to help improve his vision. Illusions”, and the popular “The Cornelius It was something that was at the forefront Saga”. She writes in various genres includof my mind and it just so happened that one ing paranormal romance, fantasy, thrillers, day as I was outside in a parking lot waiting science-fiction, mystery and suspense. She is for my daughter, the idea popped into my the author of several No 1 best-sellers across head about this older lady being completely the various Amazon stores. blind, but yet being able to see what was For more information about Tanya R Taygoing on around her. She ultimately proves lor’s, visit her website, www.tanya-r-taylor. to everyone that even though she has a discom.