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Chelazon Leroux

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Chelazon Leroux
Leroux at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2024
Born
Layten Byhette[1]

November 7, 1999 (age 25)
NationalityCanadian
OccupationDrag queen
TelevisionCanada's Drag Race (season 3)

Chelazon Leroux (born November 7, 1999)[2] is the stage name of Layten Byhette, a Dene[2][3] drag performer, comedian, model, and activist who competed on season 3 of Canada's Drag Race.

Early life

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Chelazon Leroux was raised in northern Saskatchewan. Leroux recalls feeling like she did not fit in on the reservation or in her small town in Canada. [4] Growing up, she did not have a positive image of Indigenous representation in the media. [4] At the age of 18, Chelazon Leroux decided to move to the larger city of Edmonton, Canada. [4]

Career

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Chelazon Leroux competed on season 3 of Canada's Drag Race.[5][6][7]

Chelazon Leroux’s first experience with drag was in their home community at the age of 13 during a talent show for a mental health awareness week.[8] One of the events that was put on was called “Mr. Beautiful and Mrs.Handsome” which Chelazon Leroux describes as drag without being called drag as men wore dresses and women wore work clothes, all while being a comedy. [8]

Their aesthetic for their drag is unapologetically indigenous as they attempt to incorporate their identity. [8] They implement beaded earrings or full-on regalia to express their heritage and showcase indigenousness. [8]

Chelazon Leroux works with Lavender Promotions as their drag management team. [9]

They finished their time on Canada’s Drag Race in 10th place ー eliminated on episode 3. During their time on the show they won one mini challenge: the Frostiest Queen challenge. [10]

They walked in London Fashion Week in 2021 for indigenous designer Jill Setah representing missing and murdered indigenous women.[11]

Chelazon Leroux is in a network of Native American, two-spirit comedians called IndigE-girl Comedy. [12] [13] In November 2023, she was a part of a sold out tour: The Airing of Grievances. [12]

Chelazon Leroux started using TikTok to educate and advocate for Indigenous peoples,[14] and has more than 541,000 followers on the platform.[15][8] The app allowed her a space to use comedy as a way of sharing stories of her Indigenous upbringing.[14] She has also hosted a series of beauty tutorials called Deadly Like Auntie.[16] The videos share tips, such as  how to make a proper hair bun.

Activism

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Chelazon Leroux uses their social media platforms to advocate for Native Americans and individuals who identify as two-spirit and LGBTQ+.[8] They use their TikTok platform to share stories of their upbringing and be exactly who they are, allowing them to celebrate their culture.[8] The goal behind their social media content is to educate and give particular views as they say it is in their bloodline to tell stories, allowing them to share their own story without anyone else narrating it for them. [8]

Personal life

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Chelazon Leroux is Two-spirit[5] and uses the pronouns he/she/they in and out of drag.[11][10] She considers Buffalo River Dene Nation home.[17]

The term Two Spirit is used in Native American cultures to define those who identify as having both masculine and feminine spirits.[18] For Native Americans who identify as Two Spirit, the term can be a gender, sexual, or spiritual identity.[18] Chelazon Leroux identifies as a Two Spirit individual who defines it as being a ‘bridge between two worlds’. [4][16]

Her “auntie” persona largely influences Chelazon Leroux’s influencing. They refer to themselves as Auntie in TikTok videos and interviews every day.[8] They say they use the term as their “love letter to indigenous women'' since, in Native culture, aunties are the matriarchs who carry forward tradition.[8] In an interview, they highlighted that the term represents the ones who raised them and showed them it was okay to be who they are.[8] Moreover, it also illustrates the women who gave them unconditional love and permission to be who they are.[8] Chelazon Leroux also mentions that aunties are the ones who provide them with a sense of humor and creativity in their daily lives and professions.[8]

Native culture uses the term as a term of endearment for indigenous elders, who could include literal aunts, close family friends, or a respected figure within the community. It is used to show appreciation for a person's experience or wisdom.[8]

Filmography

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Television

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References

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  1. ^ Giesbrecht, Libby. "Saskatchewan drag queen to appear on Canada's Drag Race". battlefordsnow.com. Battlefords Now. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Queer Collective (2024-10-10). What Is 2-Spirit? ft. Chelazon Leroux & Haley Robinson. Retrieved 2024-12-07 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Two-Spirit: A Bridge Between Worlds". ADPR. 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  4. ^ a b c d Beaulne-Stuebing, Laura. "Meet Indigenous drag artists trying to 'offer hope' to LGBTQ and 2-spirit youth". CBC Radio. CBC.
  5. ^ a b "Drag Queen Chelazon Leroux Has a Beauty Routine Worth Knowing". FASHION Magazine. 2023-06-05. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  6. ^ "'Canada's Drag Race' Season 3: 'After the Sashay' with Chelazon Leroux | Xtra Magazine". Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  7. ^ "The Latest Eliminated 'Canada's Drag Race' Dolls Have Big Future Plans • Instinct Magazine". Instinct Magazine. 2022-08-19. Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Meet your first Saskatchewan drag race-er: Chelazon Leroux". Two Row Times. 2022-06-22. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  9. ^ "CHELAZON LEROUX | Lavender Promotions". lavenderpromotions.com.
  10. ^ a b Latimer, Kendall. "First Nations drag artist is 1st queen from Sask. competing to be Canada's Next Drag Superstar". CBC. Archived from the original on 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  11. ^ a b "Canada's Drag Race season 3: Meet the Queens". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2023-10-13.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ a b "Mark Your Calendar: "The Airing of Grievances" all-Indigenous comedy show". The Georgia Straight. 16 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Misko Way – Indigenous Created Digital Media".
  14. ^ a b Taylor, Brooke (22 June 2021). "'Unapologetically Indigenous': How TikTok provides a community for Indigenous creators to advocate, educate and entertain". CTVNews. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  15. ^ Menzies, Michael (2023-03-03). "Drag performer's inclusion at Youth Conference questioned; performer responds online". Lakeland Connect. Archived from the original on 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  16. ^ a b "First Nations drag artist is 1st queen from Sask. competing to be Canada's Next Drag Superstar". Yahoo News. 2022-06-23. Archived from the original on 2022-07-02. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  17. ^ Zimmer, Becky. "Saskatchewan drag tour supports local organization during Pride month". paNOW. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  18. ^ a b Fewster, Peter H. "Researching for LGBTQ Health". lgbtqhealth.ca.
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