With the Edmonton Coronation Ball fast approaching, and the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose preparing to crown a new Emperor and Empress, we wanted to take a moment to sit down with His Most Imperial and Sovereign Majesty, Emperor JeffyLube XXXpress and Her Most Imperial and Sovereign Majesty, Empress Dayzi Chayne - heads of the 38th Imperial House of Royal Crowns and Crown Royal. As they await their step down, we reflected on the outstanding work they and their organization have done for the community over the past year, and speak about their concerns and hopes for the Imperial Court in the coming future.
GC: Can you give us a bit of your background? Who are Jeffy Lube and Dayzi Chayne?
DC: Who are we? We are a married couple in real life who have been involved in the court and drag for only about six years, and I don’t know beyond that um...
JL: Well, daily life, we’re just a normal gay couple living our lives... it just sort of happened – it was accidental.
DC: Both Jeff and I were late coming out because we were married before and had kids before and are both grandpas. I think it was sort of the production shows at the Roost that lead us to the Court, and lead us to drag, and to our first Coronation Ball.
GC: So you went to a Coronation Ball and that inspired you?
DC: It tweaked our interest. People were asking why are you wearing those crowns? What is it all about? We were familiar with drag but not the volunteerism and what the Court is all about. It gave us an avenue to direct our energies.
JL: It was sort of about a year or so later – Brian expressed interest in trying drag for a hoot. Leah Way painted his face and it was just for fun; to just go out and have fun. I got involved by doing things with Dayzi.
DC: Then there was the Kylie Minogue Show – a production show, and group numbers and getting involved with other people.
JL : One thing just lead to another. Big Daddy (Pump) gave me the title of Duke... and then... we just sort of started getting more and more involved until finally we were asked to run for the Prince and Princess titles. And then we won those titles, but we never consciously chose or meant to get involved. It just sort of happened for Emperor and Empress. The following year we became Entertainer of the Year as a couple – but that year we weren’t ready because he wanted to wait until he retired.
DC: I couldn’t put the energy in for running for Empress, I was working out of town so I waited until I retired.
GC: Your predecessors, Empress Vanity Fair and Emperor JJ Valour, worked very hard and accomplished so much. Did that foundation make it easier for you to build upon together, or did it put pressure on you to meet the standards they left behind?
JL: I think what it does is makes you want to do as well, or better, or improve upon, as I hope they try to do the next year... If they do well, it all goes to charity. You do what you [can] for the right reasons.
DC: [Vanity and JJ] had a tougher year because of the bar situation. It wasn’t until the year we were in that Evolution opened up and we had a good relationship with Woody’s and Buddy’s so we had two venues that are so welcoming to us. Having those venues helps. JJ and Vanity, because they had such a tough year in terms of venues, started using the Ramada’s ‘Locker Room’ – so it built relationships within the community.
GC: Aside from official Court events, you have both come out and supported numerous events at large. Do you have any especially fond memories from those experiences, and why was it personally important for you to get out and interact with the entire community?
DC: We went into this saying we want to build [with] the community, so it was really important to establish some of those relationships. We don’t fit into those certain molds of these are the drag queens, these are the bears, these are the leather folk. We sort of feel comfortable in a lot of different places.
JL: We were going to leather events, going to bear events; we were going to drag events etc. We were comfortable going to all these events working together with different communities.
DC: We were also focused on the fundraising and we used to be a lot more involved with the bears... they are very supportive of the Court too. Even with the group Women’s Space... and Fruit Loop... it exposes you to so many people that aren’t involved in the bar or any of the groups.
JL: Then there are the events we helped out at. Queer Prom was so amazing, and interacting with the kids and Camp fyreFly just a couple of weeks ago – that was a lot of fun. When you have events like that, and when you perform in the bar and go out into the community or even for Woman’s Space – the appreciation is so empowering, you just want to keep going and going and going.
GC: So what are the charities the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose advocates for, and what accomplishments and milestones have you reached during your tenure?
DC: The privilege of the Emperor and Empress is they get to choose the charities each year. Some of them have changed depending on what one’s personal experiences are. We have been involved with Camp fyreFly since they started.
JL: This year we chose the Pride Centre of Edmonton as it’s so important to this city. We decided to split the funds – some to The Canadian Cancer Society, as so many have been lost so young to cancer, and then we decided the Alzheimer’s society [due to Brian’s mom] was a good charity.
GC: How does one get started with those charities?
DC: To get started you have to complete a ten-page application, and you have to be interviewed by the Court and answer why you want to be Emperor or Empress. The Victory Brunch is when you announce your plans and address the group for the first time. Choosing the charities is why I did it. How many people have the opportunity to raise money and lead the organization in fundraising - which can be challenging but rewarding.
GC: For anyone wanting to get involved in the Court system, what is the best way for them to begin?
DC: If they want to get involved they need to be educated a little bit on why we do what we do, primarily.
JL: There are drag troupes in the city and they all do it for their own reasons. They are all great. The thing that makes the Court stand apart is that we do it for charity, not just because. There is more to it than just doing drag. There are rules and bylaws to be followed, which can be restrictive for some. To have fun doing it is great, but know that the money is going to good causes. Some will come to a show, and slap on lots of makeup, and go on stage and perform because the Court is always open; there no rules about who can or cannot do drag.
DC: As a teacher of grade six social studies, we taught kids about encouraging young people to take on volunteering for citizenship. For people wanting to get involved in the Court, you should do it because you believe in volunteerism, and want to make a difference.
JL: I got involved to have fun. Fundraising was not my number one. It looked like fun and to be silly on stage. I was very shy. I was very scared the first time on stage. People were so encouraging and friendly, and you get to know the Court and why people do it. Go up there have fun doing it and make a difference.
DC: In the last year we have had minors involved in the community, which we can’t do [with] all our events in the bars, so we’ve opened up to doing events at the Ramada for minors. To open up and have fun, [and] their parents are there too, so it is really special.
GC: The Court is known for being welcoming and inclusive to all gender identities and sexualities. Why is that important for the ISCWR?
JL: If it’s strictly drag, whether glamour or shock etc. it can be hard, whereas the Court lets people do whatever they want – whether it’s putting glitter in your beard or anything else. The Court is just very open. ...There is no limit to what you can do.
DC: There are all kinds of people in the Court system, from gay to straight people. It’s a real mix, and it has been even more evident over the last couple of years.
JL: A guy will perform as a guy and decide to try on makeup and then start performing all over the place. It’s about self-discovery, and it’s important to keep it open for anybody to have fun.
GC: What do you think the Court offers people who recently have come out?
DC: The people who recently come out come because they are immediately welcomed and encouraged to be themselves.
JL: With our roles in the Upper House we try to make a point when we see new people to try talking to them and welcome them. People have come up to us and have felt appreciated that we welcomed them with open arms. It makes people feel very comfortable.
GC: Are there any particular challenges that are facing the Court system in general and the ISCWR in particular? If so, how have you addressed them?
DC: Getting young people involved is always a challenge because it’s a different generation. I don’t know how to word that carefully. Maybe I’m a little bit jaded as a teacher, and see a difference in the generation coming, and the challenge is making it relevant to younger people.
JL: Making it so they will want to stick with it. With any organization that has bylaws and policies and procedures, some people, the younger people, may not like that. ...You have to do all the paperwork and balance all that with keeping the younger generation interested in still doing the Court.
GC: How do you see the Court’s role within the community going forth into the future?
DC: I made a point of trying to let people know who we are and what we are doing. It always seems like one of our charities has affected some people in positive ways, and we get donations because of it.
JL: It is important that the Court work with other community groups in the city. We work with any group, because it builds community and that requires a lot of work. ...Next year the group can expand and grow from what we have done.
GC: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would appear that Jacque Strappe and Kelsey Breeze will go unchallenged and will follow in your footsteps. How do you think they will do as your successors, and what words of advice do you have for them?
JL: (Laughs) Well they are our prince and princess this year so they have great role models and both have a lot of enthusiasm. Jacque is quite involved with the leather community – and it is a good advantage to work for different events and fundraising. They are both good friends to each other and will work well together. My advice to them: no matter what happens, keep it off of Facebook! You never know what is gonna happen in the year... There can be drama. That stuff happens and is human, but one of the things with social media now – I find it very disturbing – is when it all gets aired on Facebook...We made a secret group for venting... I am very proud that we didn’t have any dirty laundry to be aired really. We had very little issues. Any issues that were had were beyond our control. It wasn’t personality issues, just some things just happened in the community.
DC: And work as a team. For us it is not just Jeff and I, but it was a lot of people, so network.
GC: As you look back at your reign, what will you be taking away from your experience?
JL: I’m just so damn proud of us. I am taking away this feeling of accomplishment, that we raised good money for our charities and had fun and made a lot of new friends who we will keep.
DC: We were building relationships with people and these are people that have been with us through the year. It’s quite rewarding to have someone come up and pat you on the back for all the work you do. I find it to be the biggest reward and recognition for that fact that it has made a difference with someone.
GC: Do you have any words of praise or words of thanks for supporters, and last message for the community?
JL: Please read the ball program. All the thanks are in there. (laughs)
DC: There are so many people and organizations – there is the fear of leaving someone out. We have two clubs and many of the organizations who have been so great. It has been quite an emotional thing. Both Jeff and I are emotional people. Jeff has his Emperor’s pacifier and I have all those people that invite me out for coffee... There are just so many people.
JL: ...I hope we get it across in some way that the people who have stepped forward to help us out this year, just how much we appreciate them. Words cannot express how thankful we are. There are people who came out of the woodwork to help and did it for us. It meant so much. It’s gonna make me cry. (laughs)
GC: Any closing sentiments?
JL: I just would like to encourage people to come out and check out the Courts, whether Edmonton or Calgary’s Courts; check the functions out and understand they are doing this for charity and for the community and support them.
DC: The message I would say too is find out about the ISCWR and find out what they do.
