Photo by Sly Pereira

Heath V. Salazar - Photo by Julie Riemersma

GAY JESUS

THE SULTRY SAVIOUR

THE ONE AND HOLY GAY JESUS is an internationally recognized drag king serving up a mouth-watering communion of Latine wine and non-binary bread. Born of virgin-ish loins and baptized in sex-appeal, Gay Jesus is best known for his multidisciplinary protest pieces decked out in draglesque. Featured on Season 1 of CBC Arts’ docu-series Canada’s a Drag and nominated as LGBTQ Person of the Year by the 2019 Inspire Awards, Gay Jesus has been at the forefront of the Drag King and Burlesque scenes in Toronto, Canada throughout his career and now delivers his Sultry Spirit to audiences around the globe.

With a body of work celebrated by media outlets including CBC Arts, OUTtv, & VICE Canada, his unique movement style made him the feature of a printed spread with The Dance Current (Canada's Dance Magazine) and his fusion of artistry and advocacy have brought him to be a guest lecturer at universities across Canada.

With Community at the core of his creations, it's no doubt that this King has been dubbed a Drag Artist to Follow time and time again.

Photo by Julie Riemersma

Activism sits at the heart of Gay Jesus’ work. In addition to utilizing drag as a medium for advocacy, he's had the honour of working with organizations that are close to his heart including Rainbow Railroad, Kid’s Help Phone, the 519, and many more. He's also adamant about prioritizing prioritizing community events as both a performer and public speaker.

For his birthday, Gay Jesus has traditionally thrown a virtual choose-your-own-charity fundraiser since the beginning his career entitled Xmas in July. In 2023, he produced its first in-person iteration by mounting a full-scale production in collaboration with the PrEP Clinic which raised $2400 for Queer Youth at Friends of Ruby.

In addition to live performance, Gay Jesus also incorporates his work as a writer and film creator into his drag.

His first short film Préstamo, created in collaboration with award-winning director Tricia Hagoriles, had its debut as the Producer’s Choice Feature at the 2019 FIERCE! International Queer Performing Arts Festival and his second, entitled All of the Above, debuted on CBC Gem as part of the CBC Arts & Buddies in Bad Times virtual cabaret Queer Pride Inside.

Gay Jesus has become a household name causing audiences to swoon at festivals across Canada. In 2022, he headlined a sold-out show for the 2022 Cluster Festival in Winnipeg where he was also a featured performer for Canada Pride. He's dazzled some of Toronto's largest venues like Meridian Hall as one of the Toronto openers for the Canada's Drag Race S2 Tour and Echo Beach in 2023 performing for Live Nation's lavender wild which has since been described as the Sapphic Super Bowl.

This king's finely-tuned skillset has led him to collaborate with companies like Knix Canada and perform for events like Just for Laughs. His contributions to the trans and non-binary community both onstage and behind the scenes landed him a featured spot in Them Fatale, a gender diverse cabaret, at Montreal Pride 2023 where he debuted a live performance love letter to the trans and non-binary community.

Photo by Julie Riemersma

To ring in 2024, Gay Jesus was chosen as the Host for one of Toronto's largest queer New Year's Eve events - the legendary Buddies in Bad Times NYE Party - where he launched the audience into the new year by shimmering in a kitty pool of champagne.

Gay Jesus is proud to work so closely with his community and, when he’s not onstage, is quickly found in the audience cheering at the top of his lungs for his fellow Drag Monarchs, Kings and Queens.