Bimini Bon-Boulash – known offstage as Thomas Hibbits (they/them) – is perhaps Britain’s best-known drag queen. But the 27-year-old author, model, and musician has now questioned whether what they do still is drag.
In an interview with musician Yungblud, who is guest editing this week’s Big Issue magazine, the Drag Race UK star said: “A lot of the time now, when I think about what I do, I’m not sure whether I’m even doing drag anymore. I feel like I’m just doing me.”
Bimini started doing drag when they moved to London. “I think I got into it because drag was a culture that I was around. It was a gateway into an exploration of my own gender, my sexuality, my identity,” they said.
“I was 19 when I first went out in a club. I was wearing fishnets and a fur coat and I had like a wig on. I remember someone come up to me, he was like a big drag queen on the scene. And they were like, ‘What you’re doing isn’t drag’.
“I remember being taken aback because they were someone that was quite well known and respected. I thought there were rules to drag.”
“I went away, I did some travelling. When I came back and I got into it myself, I realised that there are no rules. Drag isn’t a uniform, there’s no right or wrong way to do it.
