Chelazon Leroux (born November 7, 1999) is the stage name of Layten Byhette, a Canadian

Dene The Dene people () are an Indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal, subarctic and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages and it is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term ...

drag performer, comedian, model, and activist who competed on

season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

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 ...

''.

Early life

Chelazon Leroux was raised in northern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Leroux recalls feeling like she did not fit in on the reservation or in her small town in Canada. Growing up, she did not have a positive image of Indigenous representation in the media. At the age of 18, Chelazon Leroux decided to move to the larger city of

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada.

Career

Chelazon Leroux competed on

of ''

''. Chelazon Leroux’s first experience with drag was in their home community at the age of 13 during a talent show for a mental health awareness week. One of the events that was put on was called “Mr. Beautiful and Mrs.Handsome” which Chelazon Leroux describes as drag without being called drag as men wore dresses and women wore work clothes, all while being a comedy. Their aesthetic for their drag is unapologetically indigenous as they attempt to incorporate their identity. They implement beaded earrings or full-on regalia to express their heritage and showcase indigenousness. Chelazon Leroux works with Lavender Promotions as their drag management team. They finished their time on Canada’s Drag Race in 10th place ー eliminated on episode 3. During their time on the show they won one mini challenge: the Frostiest Queen challenge. They walked in

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...

in 2021 for indigenous designer Jill Setah representing missing and murdered indigenous women. Chelazon Leroux is in a network of Native American, two-spirit comedians called IndigE-girl Comedy. In November 2023, she was a part of a sold out tour: The Airing of Grievances. Chelazon Leroux started using

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

to educate and advocate for Indigenous peoples, and has more than 541,000 followers on the platform. The app allowed her a space to use comedy as a way of sharing stories of her Indigenous upbringing. She has also hosted a series of beauty tutorials called ''Deadly Like Auntie''. The videos share tips, such as how to make a proper hair bun.

Activism

Chelazon Leroux uses their social media platforms to advocate for Native Americans and individuals who identify as two-spirit and LGBTQ+. They use their TikTok platform to share stories of their upbringing and be exactly who they are, allowing them to celebrate their culture. The goal behind their social media content is to educate and give particular views as they say it is in their bloodline to tell stories, allowing them to share their own story without anyone else narrating it for them.

Personal life

Chelazon Leroux is

Two-spirit ''Two-spirit'' (also known as ''two spirit'' or occasionally ''twospirited'', or abbreviated as ''2S'' or ''2E'', especially in Canada) is a umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people who fulfill a trad ...

and uses the pronouns ''he''/''she''/''they'' in and out of drag. She considers

Buffalo River Dene Nation The Buffalo River Dene Nation () is a Dene First Nations band government in Saskatchewan, Canada. The band's main community, Dillon, is located on the western shore of Peter Pond Lake at the mouth of the Dillon River, and is accessed by Highway ...

home. The term Two Spirit is used in Native American cultures to define those who identify as having both masculine and feminine spirits. For Native Americans who identify as Two Spirit, the term can be a gender, sexual, or spiritual identity. Chelazon Leroux identifies as a Two Spirit individual who defines it as being a ‘bridge between two worlds’. Her “auntie” persona largely influences Chelazon Leroux’s influencing. They refer to themselves as Auntie in TikTok videos and interviews every day. They say they use the term as their “love letter to indigenous women'' since, in Native culture, aunties are the matriarchs who carry forward tradition. In an interview, they highlighted that the term represents the ones who raised them and showed them it was okay to be who they are. Moreover, it also illustrates the women who gave them unconditional love and permission to be who they are. Chelazon Leroux also mentions that aunties are the ones who provide them with a sense of humor and creativity in their daily lives and professions. Native culture uses the term as a term of endearment for indigenous elders, who could include literal aunts, close family friends, or a respected figure within the community. It is used to show appreciation for a person's experience or wisdom.

Filmography

Television

* ''

'' (

) * ''

Bring Back My Girls ''Bring Back My Girls'' is a reality television series hosted by American television personality Ts Madison. The first season premiered October 18, 2022 on WOW Presents Plus. The series is formatted as a reunion special, where in every epis ...

'' (2023)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leroux, Chelazon Living people 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Chelazon Leroux Canadian drag queens Canadian TikTokers LGBTQ First Nations people LGBTQ TikTokers Two-spirit people Year of birth missing (living people) Drag performers from Saskatchewan People from Saskatoon Indigenous drag performers of the Americas 21st-century First Nations people