Americans are outraged after a 10-year old Canadian boy was featured was featured in Huck Magazine highlighting his lifestyle as a “baby drag queen.”
The boy, Nemis Quinn Melancon-Golden, also known as Queen Lactacis, is one of the most prominent drag stars in Canada.
In an article published last Monday, Nemis is featured in full drag makeup and a black dress, posing for a photo with Season 7 winner of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” Violet Chachki.
Violet is nude in the photo, wearing only a pair of heels and a small piece of fabric over his genitals.
Child drag queen pictured with naked winner of Rupaul’s Drag Race @Cernovich @PrisonPlanet @allidoisowen @lifttheveil411 @jamiedlux pic.twitter.com/d9gf7wGzkI
— molly ? (@roughly_speakin) January 11, 2019
His mother, Jess Melancon, explained in an interview with the publication that she has always encouraged and celebrated her son’s decision to wear his sister’s clothes.
“We didn’t really bat an eyelash,” she explained, reflecting on how she cultivated her son to become a drag queen. “He’s one of the most creative magical kids. At some point, he saw that girls clothes were a little bit fancier than boys, and wearing girls clothes seemed to fit the kind of kid that he was.”
Nemis, his mother said, first took him to a drag show to perform when he was eight years old.
In 2017 footage that went viral, Nemis can be seen dressed in full drag, wearing a blonde wig, receiving thunderous applause at a drag show in Montreal as drag queen Bianca Del Rio repeatedly uses profanities and praises his mother for bringing him to the event.
“That video happened and everyone went crazy,” Jess said. “But we knew from the get-go we never wanted to lose control, or lose sight of it being fun for Nemis.”
Despite the sexual nature of drag shows, Jess explained that she is unapologetic about enticing her pre-pubescent son to wear sexually suggestive if it “makes him feel beautiful”:
“Drag is an adult arena and that’s where people question our judgement,” concedes Jessica. “So we have to censor things. He knows there are adult aspects of drag that he’s not allowed to apply to his show.”
“We would never try to overtly sexualise our child. But if he wears something that makes him feel beautiful, what right do I have to stop him wearing that dress because it might cause people to think things they shouldn’t be thinking? It’s a circular problem.”
Society should accept “how Nemis chooses to express himself,” Jess argues, because “ he’s just a kid playing.”
“There’s so much more going on in the world right now which is more horrifying and terrifying than my child wearing fancy shoes and a skirt. This shouldn’t be on anyone’s list of priorities,” she said.
Despite Jess’ attempt to normalize the sexualization of 10-year old Nemis, she is resoundingly being accused of “child abuse.”
This is child abuse. His parents apparently see him as a meal ticket. Have the authorities been notified?
Queen Lactacia: what life is like as a child drag queen https://t.co/kJlrNvv897
— Ed Hughes (@EdwardHughes64) January 12, 2019
This is child abuse. Encouraging your 2 year old to be a drag queen? Now he's 11 & I believe he goes by the name Lactacia
Let that sink in!
Progressive #Liberals want to normalize this & force us to accept this!
Shame on this kids despicable mother!
Shame on @CNBC— dancingdelilah (@dancingdelilah) December 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/zorromoho/status/1084349026101805056
I’m sorry guys, this is child abuse and mental illness!!! Trying to make it mainstream!Queen Lactacia: what life is like as a child drag queen https://t.co/Doytvgkbjp
— Decr8torlwl❌ (@LeakeWatson) January 13, 2019
WTF is going on? How is this not child abuse or exploitation?https://t.co/gC1gkZo4qA
— Porkchop (@Ycore_Rixle) January 11, 2019
