Jermaine Aranha (born 21 January 1982), better known by the stage name Anastarzia Anaquway, is a Bahamian

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

and television personality based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. She is the only Bahamian to featured in the ''Drag Race'' television franchise, having competed in the first season of ''

Canada's Drag Race ''Canada's Drag Race'' is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and is the Canadian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios. In a similar format to t ...

''.

Career

Anaquway, who made her pageant debut in the Miss Bahamas pageant in 2003, has since won over 15 pageants, such as Miss Styles Bahamas, Miss Canada International, Miss Toronto Gay, and Miss Black Continental at Large. In July 2021, she performed alongside

BOA Boa, BoA, or BOA may refer to: Snakes * Any member of the Boidae, a family of medium to large, non-venomous, constricting snakes ** Any member of the Boinae, a subfamily of boid snakes *** Any member of ''Boa'' (genus), a group of boid snakes * ...

Juice Boxx Joseph “Jo” Primeau, better known by the stage name Juice Boxx (born September 20, 1988), is a Canadian drag performer best known for being the first contestant to be eliminated on ''Canada's Drag Race'', the Canadian version of ''RuPaul's D ...

, Farra N. Hyte, and TroyBoy at the inaugural Drag Starz at the Manor, a new drag event in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

. In 2023, Aranha competed on the ninth season of ''

The Amazing Race Canada ''The Amazing Race Canada'' is a Canadian reality competition show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race''. Following the premise of other versions in the ''Amazing Race'' franchise, the show follows teams of two as they race across C ...

'' with fellow ''Drag Race'' contestant Justin Baird (also known as

Kimora Amour Justin Baird, also known under the stage name Kimora Amour, is a Canadian drag queen, nurse, costume designer, and television personality best known as a competitor in the Canada's Drag Race (season 2), second season of ''Canada's Drag Race,''Kevi ...

Personal life

Aranha was born and raised in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

and has opened up about his experiences with homophobia and hate crime in his home country. Aranha moved to

, claiming asylum, after allegedly being shot at in 2013 by two men into his driveway. Aranha's story, told on an episode of Drag Race, was met with a mixed response from Bahamians, ranging from support and solidarity to threats and accusations of lying to make the country look bad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaquay, Anastarzia Living people 1982 births 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Bahamian drag queens Bahamian emigrants to Canada Bahamian LGBTQ people Black Canadian LGBTQ people Canada's Drag Race contestants Canadian drag queens Drag performers from Toronto Entertainers from Nassau, Bahamas Refugees in Canada The Amazing Race contestants