Sydney WorldPride EXCLUSIVE: Drag Superstar Courtney Act Reveals What She Wish People Really Knew About The Queer Community – And The Uplifting Message She’d Say To Her 14-Year-Old Self
Legendary drag queen Courtney Act has revealed what she really wants people to know about the queer community.
Courtney, who is an ambassador for Booking.com’s Travel Proud programme, spoke to Daily Mail Australia during Sydney WorldPride about inclusion and the one thing she wishes people knew about the queer community.
“If you’re not in the queer community, I wish people knew that people in the queer community are just like them,” said the 41-year-old artist.
“We love, we eat, we go to work, we play, we just think about things a little differently sometimes and sometimes the same way. I think the more we share and listen to each other’s stories, the more we realize that our similarities are greater than our differences,” she added.
Courtney, whose real name is Shane Jenek, grew up in Brisbane and experienced severe bullying for being gay.
Drag superstar Courtney Act, 41, has revealed what she really wishes people knew about the queer community, and the uplifting message she would say to her 14-year-old self. Pictured: Courtney posing for the Booking.com campaign
Always a comedian, the star joked that if he could go back in time, he would tell his younger self to “start a YouTube channel earlier and hit the gym,” before sending a more serious message about self-acceptance.
“I would say to my younger self that the world may not understand who you are right now, and you may not understand who you are right now, but who you are is valid and stays true to you,” she said.
“Eventually, the world will evolve and you will better understand who you are and you will understand yourself better.”
“If you’re not in the queer community, I wish people knew that people in the queer community are just like them,” the artist told Daily Mail Australia.
WorldPride is an event that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues internationally through parades, festivals, and other cultural activities.
This year, Sydney made history as the first city in the southern hemisphere to host a WorldPride event, after winning the rights in 2019.
Courtney played a major role in Sydney WorldPride, performing at the Live and Proud concert, as well as exclusive shows for Booking.com at the official ‘Pride Villages’ in Sydney’s CBD.
Always a comedian, the star joked that if he could go back in time, he would tell his younger self to “start a YouTube channel early and hit the gym,” before tackling a more serious message about self-acceptance.
“I would say to my younger self that the world may not understand who you are right now, and you may not understand who you are right now, but who you are is valid and stays true to you,” she said.
The singer also recently released her own Sydney WorldPride party anthem, a dance track titled Celebrate.
“Sydney is one of the gay and queer capitals of the world, it’s also part of the Asia Pacific region in the southern hemisphere where there’s never been a WorldPride before,” Courtney told Daily Mail Australia.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to focus the world’s attention on Asia Pacific because in some of the countries it’s not legal to be gay.”
Courtney rose to fame after competing on Australian Idol in 2003.
“Sydney is one of the gay and queer capitals of the world, it’s also part of the Asia Pacific region in the southern hemisphere where there’s never been a WorldPride before,” Courtney told Daily Mail Australia.