Thanks Jem is a drag performer, actor, and makeup artist. They are the inspiration and star of the music video for Orville Peck's single "Queen of the Rodeo".
Thanks Jem is living their last days in their Vancouver home; it has been sold, and they have been asked to leave. The pandemic had already made it difficult for the drag queen performer to stay afloat. The only way they know to cope is to channel it into their art, prompting one final shindig.
What began 9 years ago as a drag king competition night at one of the last lesbian bars in Vancouver—the now closed Lick nightclub—has since turned into a monthly multi-gender drag spectacular and queer dance party in East Vancouver. Celebrating Kings, Queens, Things and everything in between, Man Up has grown to become indispensable in Vancouver’s vibrant and diverse queer community, proving that drag is for everybody. Stay Gold Man Up features interviews with key figures, attendees, and performers alike.
