The Toronto queen gets real with IN Magazine about her journey on the show as a trans woman, the challenge she wished she could have been there for, and her hopes for the future…
Sanjina DaBish Queen is the self-proclaimed Trans, Fijian, Bolly-hood queen of Toronto. She’s a firecracker with a larger-than-life personality, which had fans immediately in her corner as she walked into the werk room for the first time on the fifth season of Canada’s Drag Race. She was eliminated after landing in the bottom following a fast-fashion challenge (You can read IN’s recap of episode four “Fast Fashion” here). She chats with IN Magazine about her experiences on two drag-related shows, competing against her own mother, and why it was so important for her to be vulnerable in the werk room.
You competed on the first season of Call Me Mother. How did that experience compare to being on Canada’s Drag Race?
Oh my god, Call Me Mother. I mean, The experience for Call Me Mother… Can I be honest with you? If I had to compare the both, I would say both were a really good experience, because I was so celebrated on both sets you know what I mean? When I filmed Call Me Mother and came back from it I was torn because I came back into the real world. When I went to film Canada’s Drag Race It was the safest I felt. I felt so safe because I was so, I was so celebrated again. I could be myself. I was just free.
What was the challenge you were so looking forward to competing in that you didn’t get the chance to?
Definitely going to be the girl group challenge. That’s so annoying too (The girl group challenge took place in the episode following Sanjina’s elimination). And freaking Snatch Game, and you’ll find out why, but I can’t say much. But Snatch Game, I don’t know if you know who Pooja Misra is? I had a broomstick, I had a garbage can. I was ready to read Brooke Lynn because Pooja is known for being this loud, angry, Indian girl. I was really excited to have fun with her because I know I would have won Snatch Game. Oh, and the Rusical!
If you could go back in time and give the pre-Canada’s Drag Race version of Sanjina a piece of advice before walking into the werkroom, what would you tell her?
I would just tell myself to listen to your heart and don’t doubt yourself because I always get in this mood where I doubt myself. I always think that people just care about how people look. And that’s exactly what happened to me. People came for my body. People came for my outfit during the lip sync. Even after talking about body dysmorphia, people still have the nerve. And it’s like what Virgo said in that episode really stuck with me. She said “Sanjina, your personality overweighs every garment”, and when she said that, I was like, “you’re right. It really does”. And I realized that not a lot of people come to my show to see what the fuck I’m wearing. People come to either come to hang out with me because they have a bad day and they know that I’m just gonna lift them or really come to see the energy and to dance with me.
We’ve seen queens compete against their friends on the show, but it’s not often we see queens compete against their mothers and daughters. What was it like walking into the werk room and seeing The Virgo Queen there?
This is going to get me emotional, I hate this (laughs). Obviously I kind of knew, you know what I mean? It was more than just magical, it’s because I don’t come from mother love, and I’ve always just tried to really fight for my mother’s love. Virgo has been there, and she’s kind of filled in a lot of empty spaces my mom didn’t really fill. So just seeing Virgo there and just to know that I get to go on this magical journey with her. I just knew everything was gonna be okay. It felt like I had an advantage.
And that’s like why even me leaving just broke me because I still wanted to be there with her and I still wanted to stay there with her. Because I had her on my side. I knew that at any time I was going to be in the bottom and let’s say she had the power to save me, she would. And the same thing for me. So we kind of walked in there with an alliance. But at the same time, it wasn’t an alliance. It was more so like family. Me and Virgo, we don’t look at each other as drag family. No, we look at each other as blood.
It’s so important to have visibility and representation of not only trans women, but trans women of color and world stages like this. What do you hope others take from your time on the show?
To live your fucking life! And honestly, don’t shut your energy off for nobody. Nobody! My advice to every trans sibling out there is that we go through a lot of shit. A lot of people don’t understand that we have a pyramid and trans people are on the bottom of it. In the straight community, and in the queer community, we get treated like shit and garbage. I think a lot of trans people do come from a lot of struggle and a lot of hurt, and to be trans is very magical, but I feel like it’s always a step back for us because we get bullied and harassed way more and I just want to let them know just to be strong and just to keep fighting because that’s the magic of being trans. We fight.
You won the mini challenge this episode, but then landed in the bottom of the main challenge. What is the pressure like to go through the highs and lows of this competition, even in a time frame as little as one episode?
I was so annoyed because I just won, okay? And then from episode 1 to 2 to 3, I was always safe. Like I was always safe, safe, safe. So it’s like, yeah, Makayla had won, Makayla was in the top. I just think that Minhi’s decision was just made off of because Minhi was just scared of Makayla.
And I’ve been asking all of the eliminated Queens, what about what makes drag from their hometown so special. You were born out west, but now you perform in Toronto.
I’m originally born and raised in the darkest. It’s like the Jane and Finch /Scarborough and Brampton near Vancouver called Surrey. Have you watched Lion King?
Yeah.
You know when Mufasa tells Simba not to go beyond what the light touches? At the time when I was coming up, you couldn’t be gay, you couldn’t do drag and Surrey. And I didn’t even know at the time that Vancouver really had a drag scene. So now when I look at Vancouver, they do have a beautiful drag scene there. I think Toronto artists say that we are the New York, right? And Vancouver is like the LA of drag. Our drag here is cut. It’s deep. It’s like, “Girl,. If you’re gonna go to open stage, you better make it or break it, girl”. It’s crazy just to see how people fight to get bookings here to be seen. That’s the point that queens or drag artists, they will tear each other down. That’s one thing I’ll say about our community that I just fucking can’t stand.
We wanna sit here as queer people and be like, “Oh my god, straight people are attacking us! Oh my god.” And then We’re doing the same thing within our community. Like, you know, we wanna talk about being all love rainbows, girl. I’m so over it because even as a drag artist I still have to fight till this day, being on Drag Race has not changed anything. I still have to fight because I’m POC and I’m trans. At the end of the day, it falls on my gender identity, and my skin color. Which sucks, but it’s life. I mean, as far as I can say, it’s life.
What part of the competition would you say was maybe easier than you expected it to be? And what part was that you thought would be a breeze was way harder than you thought it would be?
Well, this design challenge was pretty difficult for me because I just don’t come from a sewing background. I think the first episode was really fun, even though I got into my head. If anything that has to do with dancing, or if dance is involved in something, I’m very confident. Like, dance? She’s my best friend.
I mean, you’ve proven that you’re a fierce competitor and a sickening performer. What would your dream lip sync song be?
“WAP” by Cardi and Megan! The dirty version too. “WAP” or “Water” by Tyla. That’s my song. There’s just something about when Tyla sings “Water,” it’s the way you move. Like, it just also reminds me of Fiji water (picks up her bottle of Fiji Water) Fiji Water, sponsor me, please (laughs).
During your time on the show, we saw you tackle and talk about tough topics, whether it was body dysmorphia, or even just comparing yourself to your peers, which I think is something that viewers of any sexuality or gender expression can relate to. You’ve already made such an impact with the discussions and discourse you’ve been a part of. Why was it important for you to have those discussions on TV?
Um, I think what it was in that moment…I’ll say I’m very real. When you’re at your most vulnerable, in order for me to be like that, I have to be in a safe place. I wanted the world to see because I know I was that kid who was in the dark all my life and had no idea how to turn that light on and I didn’t even know what light it was and I realized I was the light. So everything I said about body dysmorphia, even my relationship with my mother or, you know, my being bullied because I was a big girl. I want those kids to hear that, it’s okay to tell your story because people need to hear it. And if you don’t tell your story, this world is never going to change. I think that, for me, when I get inspired, it’s based off of stories. It’s based on people’s hustle and their struggle, and what they go through.
And that’s why I wanted to get on Canada’s Drag Race is because I know there’s a lot of boys and girls and theys and thems out there who are just like me. Who don’t have the answer. Who are sitting in the dark right now and don’t even know where the light switch is.
One last question. What do you want to manifest for yourself? Where do you want to see Sanjina in a year?
In a year, I want to have the fucking glow up. Where when I come back, I come back, not polished, I come back fucking puss, okay!? I’m also California-sober now. So, that is the journey. I’m going into polishing, pussing up my drag. And I am putting this out in the universe. I’m going to be back in that sphere for a spinoff for an All Stars, either global or it’s going to be Vs the World. When I come back, like, it’s game on. I’m still going to be me, but I’m going to do a lot of things differently.
POST A COMMENT