My Drag Dad helped me become a queen at 15
16 year old Tianah Tucker wanted to perform as a drag queen from a young age but ‘being different’ made school difficult.
“When I was younger, I did experience a little bit of bullying,” Tianah says. “I feel like the hate pushed me to be who I am today because, if that hadn’t have happened, I really feel like I wouldn’t have come out when I did.”
At the age of 15, Tianah was too young to perform at drag shows unaccompanied so her father, Paul Tucker, stepped up.
Scottish Drag Queen Tianah Tucker And Her Drag Dad
We all need someone as supportive as this drag Dad.
"‘Drag Dad’ is really just a phrase that I’ve coined because I was this dad of an underage drag queen” Paul says. “My role has been to support and direct largely.” Paul goes to all Tianah’s shows, helps film her practices and even supports her mentally.
“I’m there to comfort you when your eyelashes don’t stick or your wig gets tangled,” he laughs.
Despite only recently performing at drag events, Tianah has known who she wanted to be since primary school.
“I played the Ugly Sister in Cinderella and we went out shoe shopping” Tianah reminisces. “We bought a dress. We bought a big blue wig that was horrific.”
It may have been a bit of fun at the time but Tianah knew something had changed.
“It was in the context of a school play that people came to see it, people were expecting it and then it sort of just kinda pushed me to do it outside of school” Tianah says. “But I didn’t really have the courage to come out until around my first few years of high school.”
Paul remembers Tianah telling her family.
“When you were comfortable with it, you told your gran and then you turned up at the house in drag” Paul recalls. “She was a little bit taken aback but then she started buying you makeup and dresses.”
Tianah believes drag has really empowered her but it’s had a lasting impact on her dad too.
“What I’ve got out of this whole drag experience has been a way to connect with Tianah on a level that we didn’t have for a long time because [Tianah was] quite introvert with all the stuff that was going on in school” Paul says. “But it’s also helped me understand a community that I didn’t know a lot about and meet so many amazing, creative people. I mean it’s really just given me a new lease of life.”
Paul thinks parents should embrace the creativity in their kids and help them become whoever they want to be.
I feel like the hate pushed me to be who I am today because, if that hadn鈥檛 have happened, I really feel like I wouldn鈥檛 have come out when I did.鈥�Tianah
“It’s just about supporting your children and making sure that they have every opportunity in life to be themselves and to achieve their full potential” he says.
And Tianah wants others to follow suit and give drag a go.
“To anyone who is wanting to pursue drag or just performing or being ‘different’ all I say is, ‘just go for it’. Ignore the people that don’t like it or don’t like you because they’re not going to matter when you’re on stage performing and winning at life.”
