The Vancouver queen talks to IN Magazine about her compassionate competition, embracing younger artists, and how being her genuine self has changed the game…
Jaylene Tyme is the oldest transgender queen to compete across all Drag Race franchises. Throughout her time on the show, she also sent powerful messages about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirits through her looks, shared her experiences living through the Sixties Scoop, and became the certified mother of the group, always filling the werk room with hope and optimism. Jaylene’s time in the competition came to an end after the girl group challenge in the fifth episode of season 5 (You can read IN’s recap of “The One They Went 90s” here). Following her elimination Jaylene talked to IN about her favourite look she wore, the challenge she wished she got to do, and her hopes for the future of drag.
You were already such a legend and an icon before stepping foot into the werkroom. What made you want to take this journey on Canada’s Drag Race?
Well, it’s Drag Race. You know, I’ve been watching it since season one, RuPaul’s Drag Race when they had Vaseline on the lens (laughs). So, I mean, I’ve been inspired by that. I just love the whole concept. It has become a global phenomenon, so when it came to Canada, I’ve applied every year. I put my quarter in the machine, and you never know. But if you don’t apply, how are you gonna know if it could be possible? So, I just kept doing it, and here I am!
With your time in the competition over, was there a challenge that you were really looking forward to that you didn’t get the chance to do?
Well, it would be Snatch Game because I’m a character queen. A lot of the shows that I do are celebrity impersonations. So, I was looking forward to doing that, which is next week. I guess it’ll just leave people wanting a little more.
You wore so many great looks on the runway this season. Which one was your personal favorite and why?
Ooh, that’s a hard one because every runway that I had was intentional and really told the story of who I am and what’s important to me. So, if I had to pick a favorite…maybe I would pick my entrance because it was the rose(bud) winning best entrance that represented the missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirits.
Something that was so nice to see was that as soon as you walked into the werkroom we knew exactly who Jaylene was and you were consistently genuine. Was there a part of the competition that you weren’t expecting to be as challenging as it ended up being?
It wasn’t that I wasn’t expecting it to be challenging because as you just said, I came in and I was myself. And you know, I shared my strengths, but also my vulnerability. I think one of the things I said too, is choreo in groups for me is not something that I do normally, so I did think that would be a challenge and it ended up being one. There’s something when I get really nervous, I kind of black out.
I find that that was interesting to me because when I left I was able to really take a look at it and explore that a bit further because I have control of my life.I kind of have to, as a trans person, I have to navigate my spaces all the time. And so, when I was in there and, you know, you give your phone away and you follow the race and things like that, which means you have to give up control. And I think that at times put me into some spaces where I didn’t feel confident.
I feel like it can also be like a roller coaster of emotion too because you’re up and then you feel like you’re down and then you have to kind of like navigate that as well. It must be so difficult.
I mean… it’s the race and when you sign up you know you’re gonna be put in that position so overall, if you don’t have a cringe moment on Drag Race don’t think you’re doing Drag Race.
Last year we had Kitten Kaboodle who was at the time the oldest queen to compete on any Drag Race franchise. This season you’re the oldest transgender contestant to ever compete in the show’s entire herstory. What’s it like to be that beacon of visibility for other queens and women your age?
Well, that’s magic. Brooke Lynn said every episode at the end of it, “we need the magic of drag more than ever now”. For me, when I walked in the workroom and there were three trans women on this cast, I was like, “oh my god, there’s a shift”. And we noticed that in our communities. Just to shout out production, they really took care of our stories. I just knew that we could create a space that was brave. For people to not only share their art, but they could also share things about themselves that were important. And we saw that. We went viral because we created that environment. The talk around Truth and Reconciliation was very powerful. I’m really proud of everyone involved. But also, the fact that it’s an important message for the world to see.
Sometimes on different Drag Race franchises whether it be UK, or US or wherever, we see queens that are 35 and older kind of dismiss or talk down to the younger queens. As an audience, we saw so many beautiful moments between you and the younger queens, especially the younger trans girls on the cast this year. But in return, you mentioned that you were also learning so much from them. Why do you think it’s important to embrace younger generations of queens?
Well, I just remember being young myself and I remember how confusing it was and how challenging it was with discrimination and racism. There’s a whole bunch of things that I don’t think young people should have to navigate through. Like I really don’t. I feel like they should be able to explore a space where they can feel like they can achieve anything. And so I feel that when I connect with people that are younger, like Makayla is 31 years younger than me, and we’re in the same show, we’re together. But to see her so confident, and to see her really feel like she’s got the support, that she can achieve anything, for me, it actually took my breath away.
Because it means that all of the hardships and the challenges that I faced and a lot of other trans people have faced, it’s worthwhile to see that our future is going to experience a different way. That’s why I think it’s really, really important for me to connect with young people too. To let them know that by them living and standing in their truth with that power, they’re showing other people that’s possible. I always want to make sure that they see it and that they know how fabulous it is.
In your exit interview, you said, “I’m so proud to be able to be here, to be visible”. It’s so important to not only see trans women on a platform like this, but trans women from your generation. What do you hope people take from seeing you on Canada’s Drag Race?
I think that they can see maybe a bit of themselves. I think that’s what’s great about our diverse cast is that people can see a little bit of who they are. And that’s what I feel like being there, being 53 years-old, being a trans person and an indigenous person. Two-Spirit, a sober person, but a fierce drag queen, you know, all of that wrapped into one.
I’ve had so many messages from people all over the world that are saying they’ve never seen that on Drag Race. Overall, I just wanna make sure that people realize that drag is really the power of standing in your truth and expressing yourself freely. I think that’s a message that we can never get tired of and it needs to get bigger and louder.
You described yourself as a “surthriver”. How do you think that that helped you in the competition?
It means that I’ve experienced adversity. But I also am in a space right now to where I lean into the power that I’m able to foster today. I’m strong, I’m brave, and things work out for me. And so that is a message that’s maybe taken me, you know, quite a while to get to, but I am here. I walk this earth. I’m 26 years sober. The fact that I’m able to recognize that we have one day at a time, and let’s reveal our best self is, I think, really important. And a lot of people have been really responding to that.
You also spoke a lot about the power of community. And I think being in that environment, it’s so easy to get caught up in the competition and get caught up in looking out for yourself, and maybe throw others under the bus in the process, but you were always extremely compassionate to your competitors. How do you lead with love in a competition setting while still having your head in the game?
That’s a really great question because when I went in there, I knew that I wasn’t there to cause drama. I try to create harmony in the communities that I’m in. That’s what I do. And this wasn’t gonna be any different. I knew I was gonna come into a space with a bunch of people that love to do what I love to do, and I knew it was gonna be challenging at some times. And I knew this was gonna be a journey where we kind of really needed each other to kind of navigate through it. I am the mother of season five (laughs). And I say that with pride because I came in and I just knew that I wanted to make sure that each and every person there realized that they were chosen for a reason and we’re all stars. So why not rise up to that?
You’ve been doing drag for over 30 years. You’ve seen the community change in so many ways from the ‘90s all the way to it being more mainstream now. What do you hope for with the future of drag?
I hope that the future of drag continues to encourage people to reach further. To really stand in their truth and lean into the bliss of what you enjoy doing. And, you know, find the people that inspire you, continue on learning. And that’s something that I think is important. Because when I started drag, there weren’t a lot of resources. You kind of had to go to thrift stores and use makeup from the drugstore and that was really limited. Now you can get it anywhere. So, the only limit is your imagination. Have fun with it, but also know that visibility and that that energy is something that a lot of people really need to see.
Where do you want to see Jaylene in a year? What’s next for Jaylene?
Well…I’ve already manifested literally just standing and just saying “I want to just be me the best possible way I can”. I shifted my career to be in Two-Spirit research to really strengthen resources in the community. So, for a year, it’s just with Drag Race and the friends that I’m meeting and the different people that are reaching out to me, I will be sharing stories in different nations and the speaker series. And I think that that is something that in the next year, I think I’m going to be really busy with that. It’s just connecting with communities and celebrating diversity and inclusion.
POST A COMMENT