Drag Queens.
Love them or hate them, but there is no doubt that they are an integral backbone of the gay community.
In any city across the world, you will find drag queens anchoring the gay scene, providing entertainment to everyone with their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.
These queens, with their fearless courage to live their lives however they want, become role models for the gay community. We often look to them to stand up against stigma and discrimination we face. For many years, they have been playing a pivotal role in conveying safer sex messages to the community through their shows and social influence.
We even fondly refer to a few queens as “mothers” of the community. They are after all, the ones that we know we can count on to dish out the best advice when it comes to love and sex.
So… the next time you need someone to talk to, why not have a kiki, a Queen Size Kiki!
Meet the queens
Sammizhen
Sammizhen hails from the sunny island of Singapore and is a veteran in the local performing scene for 2 decades. Formerly a performance arts student from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, she has constantly redefined success from numerous social media appearances, write ups and media interviews. She even appeared on a documentary titled “Singapore Confidential” by JumpCut Asia on Discovery Channel in 2017.
She is definitely no stranger to the local night scene as well. Having staged her monthly “Canto Night” shows at Out Bar, she’s known to be the only mando/canto pop Diva in Singapore.
Having even performed for local politicians at government dinners, SammiZhen is not only known for her humour but she is also able to create a full show to engage and wow the audience. Being a heavyweight - literally, her vivacious character never fails to explode on stage with flair and finesse. The larger than life Sammizhen guarantees to crack her audience up with her original comical repertoire and is never afraid of laughing at her own va-va voom plus size.
Sammi has been involved with AfA and Gayhealth since 2007, hosting shows through her reach to the chinese community; younger and older alike. She believes ending HIV is a community project and it is her responsibility to provide a voice for the GBQ community – her community.
NORIStar
NORIStar used to perform in “Boom-Boom Room”, side by side with Singapore’s Icon, KUMAR, after being crowned “Drag Queen 2000” in a grand competition at the now defunct VENOM Club.
In his career as a performer, he was nominated winner of “Drag Queen of The Year 2006” in Zouk Club. Since then, he has judged various competitions and hosted many events. He has also appeared in various local TV Drama series such as “ROUGE”, "People Like Us Season 2" and the movie “881”
In June 2015, he was recognised in The Straits Times Live section as one of the longest lasting Cooperate Drag Queen Performer to date.
NORIStar has organized, hosted and mentored Drag Queen Competitions in the clubs, such as Drag Academy at PLAY Club for 3 consecutive years and the recent Drag-It-Out for 2 seasons in Taboo Club. At present, he is actively performing in Taboo Club.
NORIStar has supported the movements of AFA, Gayhealth and other community partners throughout his career as a drag queen - with decades of experience, he has become socially aware of using his voice to learn and teach others to spread love. Outside of the fun and fantasy, he believes drag queens bring hard-earned wisdom, empathy and support for the LGBTQ community.
Becca D’Bus
Becca D‘Bus is Singapore’s biggest drag queen. She is the host and producer of "RIOT! Which takes place every 2nd Saturday at Hard Rock Cafe.
She is also the host and one of the producers of "The Glory Hoes present", a screening series of cult gay films held at The Projector. She can also be regularly seen at LuLu’s Lounge where she is resident at Cafe Bizarre Saturdays.
Becca is one of the organizers of IndigNation, Singapore’s Pride Season, and can usually be stalked online @beccadbus on Facebook and Instagram.
Becca believes her people are sexy, powerful and alive - By ending HIV, we would make the world a better place for the community to grow and thrive for generations to come. This campaign is an opportunity for her to contribute to that, and the only answer to that offer is "Yes!"
Catch our Queens here!
Premiere
When there’s potential trouble, who do you call? Stop, Wait, and Go!
What’s next?
Post-premiere, what are the queens planning to do afterward?
The Queens Videos
In the next few months, each of the queens will be creating their own videos that touches on topics around HIV and STI prevention, based on their own experiences and experiences from the community. So do keep a look out for their videos on their social media platforms and support them by liking and sharing.
We hope that this campaign will help spark conversations on safer sex amongst our community and ultimately contribute to ending HIV in Singapore!
HIV
ABC
Stigma and discrimination
Young gay men
PrEP and PEP
More coming soon!
Like our dear friend in the video, we have all had the same experience at one point or another. We have one too many drinks, meet someone hot and sometimes we do not think with the right head. (Get it? *wink)
Soooo, the next time one of our friends end up in a situation where they may have made a rash decision which compromised their sexual health, instead of judging or teasing them, we should equip ourselves with the correct sexual health information so that we can be there for our friends and give them proper advice.
PrEP
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
If you often find yourself in a situation where you forget to use a condom, don’t have a condom on you all the time, prefers to not use a condom or wants additional protection on top of condom use, why not consider PrEP?
PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, it is the use of anti-HIV medications to keep HIV negative people from becoming infected.
Kiki tips:
PrEP is simple and effective. Have a word with a Pink Carpet volunteer or make an appointment with the doctor.
PrEP has been shown to be safe and effective at preventing HIV infection when taken correctly. You MUST consult a doctor before starting PrEP.
It is NOT:
- A magic pill that prevents you from other sexually transmitted infections.
- A morning after pill, and requires you to follow a strict timetable.
Click the link above to arm yourself with the latest information about PrEP.
PEP
Condom Broke Or Exposed To HIV?
PEP or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a combination of anti-HIV medication that can prevent you from becoming HIV positive if you think you were exposed to the the virus.
It must be started within:
- 72 hours.
- It can reduce your chances of becoming HIV+ by up to 80%
- Must be taken for 28 days.
Kiki tips:
If you find yourself in a situation where he might be exposed to HIV and isn’t on PrEP, drop us a message by clicking the pink Facebook Messenger button below.
- Drop by DSC Clinic at 31 Kelantan Lane first thing in the morning.
- If it’s the weekend, go to the emergency department of any hospital and request for PEP, and follow the instructions from the doctor on duty.
- PEP costs $500 to $1200 depending on the course of medication required, but there are cheaper alternatives.
- If you can’t afford it, message us and we can try to help out.
Click the link above to arm yourself with the latest information about PEP or send the link to him.
STI Screening
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can occur in anyone who is sexually active regardless of gender, age or sexual orientation. Many people may be unaware that they have been infected.
What are STIs and how are they transmitted? Here’s a guidebook contributed by DSC Clinic.
Regular screening allows you to take control and continue to enjoy the sex you want.
Visit DSC Clinic for a LGBTQ+ friendly, safe & affordable screening experience.
We hope that everyone is keeping well during this time. As we are not able to hold our usual workshops, the team will be presenting a series of webinars as part of our continued outreach efforts to keep connected with the community.
We will be hosting a webinar once a month from April to June on Zoom and will be joined by specialist speakers in the respective topics. Since you are are doing your part by staying home, why not join us online!