Candace Persuasian’s birthday show, Candyland, celebrated her official name change. Adorned in Beyoncé chic outfits and performing lip sync of “Defying Gravity” at Jacque’s Cabaret last Saturday night, she shared the stage with her drag children, the House of Persuasian, a group of friends who refer to her as “mother”—a term of endearment in the drag scene.
“It just felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Persuasian said. “With the new administration coming in, there was just more pressure of getting it done because you just never know if you will ever get that opportunity again.”
Growing up in Dorchester, she watched old Vietnamese-language sketch comedy skits on TV where drag was always used as the punchline—as a kid, being Asian in queer scenes just didn’t feel attractive, she explained.
“We’ve all seen those profiles on Grindr that say no fats, femmes, or Asians,” Persuasian said. “At first, being a feminine queer Asian person was just something I was ashamed of.”
Persuasian saw her first drag show at Machine, back when the club was still open in Fenway. Drag is about practicing authenticity, and she loved the freedom that came with it. She’s performed at Jacque’s Cabaret, Boston’s oldest operating gay bar, for the last seven years, spending the latter half of her tenure hosting Friday and Saturday night shows. This year marks her tenth in drag.
As a teenager, she refers to her first drag mentors as the “Joy Luck Club,” in reference to the friend group of Asian aunties in Amy Tan’s best-seller of the same title: Destiny, who, at the time, was the only Asian trans performer in Boston, and Teasha Boo, whom she met back in the ballroom scene. Both perform regularly at Carrie Nation on Sundays, the only show in town with a premier Asian cast.
Persuasian strives to have a positive influence on her community. She explained that she thinks more people would come out earlier if they had a mother like her.
“Queer folks always know that feeling of ‘I wish I had someone like you growing up,’” Persuasian said. “When I was 16, I met people who were already out and queer. They taught me how to love myself.”
Asia Deluxxe, a self-taught drag performer, met Persuasian three years ago during a Hot Mess Sunday show at Candibar on Tremont St. They immediately connected over their shared experiences, being trans and Asian.
“I just view her drag as something so upper echelon, so fierce and beautiful, I consider it a compliment that she wants to be my drag mother,” Deluxxe said.
Neon Calypso, who has known Persuasian since they were teenagers performing at True Colors, a youth theater company downtown, says it’s very much like watching her sister be celebrated.
Persuasian closed Candyland in a white latex dress with pink and blue accents, drawing influence from the look Beyoncé wore during last year’s NFL Christmas game halftime show.
“Her design had American flag colors and I took that design and re-made it with trans colors so it’s more fitting for me,” Persuasian said.
Persuasian will be performing at the 3 Dollar Bill Club’s Made in Asia all-Asian drag festival in Brooklyn this Saturday from 10 p.m. until dawn.
