Taiwanese drag queens wow hundreds in homecoming performance

Nymphia Wind, the first East Asian to take the crown in RuPaul's Drag Race wowed hundreds of spectators in her first homecoming performance in Taipei on Saturday (May 25). Wearing her signature yellow outfit, Nymphia Wind and 50 other drag queens, including two fellow RuPaul’s contestants Mirage and Plane Jane, participated in the second International Drag Festival in Taipei. “I’m still adjusting to everything I’ve experienced, it happened so fast, I’m proud to take on the ‘queen’ responsibility,” Nymphia Wind told reporters ahead of the performance. Nymphia Wind was already a well-established artist on Taiwan's thriving drag scene, often wearing over-the-top outfits inspired by bananas, and has done shows at Taiwanese temples and photo shoots at wet markets dressed as a banana. Earlier this month, the 28-year-old staged a riotous, emotional performance at Taiwan's presidential office. Nymphia Wind’s unprecedented win in the American show has inspired others, including her best friend. “What we need to do is be ourselves, let everyone know that everything we are doing is for art,” said 26-year-old’s Chiang Wei. Taiwan is a bastion of liberal values. Its capital Taipei hosts East Asia's largest Pride march every October and in 2019, the island legalixed same-sex marriage in a first for Asia. Yet, the community has occasionally faced hostility from conservative groups. Vera Yang, a spectator of Saturday’s show, said she had become encouraged to express herself more after watching the Taiwanese drag queen champion’s journey on the show. “I feel like I see myself in there. I am not a person who is good at expressing myself due to the environment I’m in, but after seeing what she’s done, I feel that I can give it a try regardless whether or not it will succeed,” said the 27-year-old. - Report from Reuters For more ABS-CBN News, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmgG2ln-vtKXb-oLlGEZc3sR Check out the latest news on upcoming Halalan 2022 here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmiGdpGgIvyNSlUsnCKyOzAM To watch the latest updates on COVID-19, click the link below: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmgUjPkc730KnTVICyQU6gBf Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch the full episodes of TV Patrol on iWantTFC: http://bit.ly/TVPatrol-iWantTFC Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS Twitter: https://twitter.com/abscbnnews #ABS-CBNHighlights #LatestNews #ABSCBNNews