Eventually, You've Got to Open the Damn Door: An Interview with Jaylene Tyme
- INTERVIEW
- Aug 12
- 12 min read
Updated: 14 hours ago
By JJ Loveday
Jaylene Tyme (she/her) is many things, all at once. An Indigenous Two-Spirit trans woman from Canada. A drag performer for over three decades. 25 years sober. A leader in the 2SLGBTQIA+ and recovery communities. A ‘Sixties Scoop’* survivor of Saulteaux, Cree, and Métis descent. A researcher with the Community Based Research Centre (CBRC) Two-Spirit Program in Vancouver. A facilitator of talking circles in federal corrections facilities. A contestant on Canada’s Drag Race Season 5. Miss Congeniality. Artist. Activist. Advocate. Icon. Mother.
Along with her co-star, Xana, Jaylene created one of the most impactful scenes in any Drag Race franchise. When Xana opened up about the impact of the Sixties Scoop on her family and feeling disconnected from her Métis heritage, Jaylene gifted Xana a traditional Métis sash, signifying I see you. We are family. This powerful moment of kinship captured Jaylene’s role as mentor and matriarch in the drag community, highlighting the importance of representation and solidarity within the Two-Spirit and Indigenous communities.
When introducing herself, Jaylene always ends her list of identifiers with ‘...and human being’. It’s a phrase she repeats with intention – a reminder that beneath the labels we are all human and it is our shared humanity that matters most. 'Human being’ isn’t just a statement of humility but a gesture of inclusion, a way of reaching across difference and saying, You belong too.
It was an immense privilege to talk with this wonderful human being, to hear more about her journey, her art, her work, her search for joy and what it means to be seen – not just in the spotlight but in the spirit.
I want to start by touching on that incredible scene in episode two when you gifted Xana the Métis sash. I have to confess I hadn’t heard of the Sixties Scoop before and it seemed as though many other queens on the show didn’t know that history either...
Only one of them really did, which was Xana. I'm surprised but not surprised. We had almost 8 million views of that clip, all over the world, and so many people had no idea. It was so respectful of production, to take care of those stories. You open up an energy when you're there together, so I don't even know what I'm saying half the time. Until watching it air back, I didn't know what to expect, so I was really grateful for to see it presented with such care.
How was it being one of three trans People of Colour in the Season 5 cast?
At first, I was getting over the shock that I was actually there because it seemed like a dream. To walk into the workroom and see three trans people on the cast... Oh my God, I said to Makayla [Couture] and Sanjina [DaBish Queen], it’s really happening, we're being seen and we're being included. In drag history, there has been such a strong presence of trans women so to see the increased trans visibility was very special.
Can you talk a little about how your drag journey begin?
Well, literally from when I was a child, I liked to transform and play dress-ups right from the start. I was in five homes before the age of four and they had these reports on me. One of them was from a preschool, saying it was problematic because I always wanted to dress up at break time.
I laugh now because I literally had to wear a skirt with pants with my shoes showing – like I was specific on the look – so they didn't know what to do with me. In my mind, I started right off the hop, wanting to be inspired by transformation. I grew up on a farm and in the bathroom, in private, I would do makeup and recreate the magazine looks I would see. And then I washed it all off, I couldn't tell anyone about it.
That's how I started, but to actually do drag wasn't until I hit the city of Calgary, Alberta. I’ve been doing drag for 33 years now, so I would have been 19 or 20 at the time. There was something inside me that had been waiting – just get through high school and then go find your people – then I saw it on a stage...
Did you make drag family connections early on?
I did, because when you went into a queer space – especially in 1990/91 – you had to sign in, it was protected because of discrimination. A lot of people in those spaces had left home or been kicked out or they just didn't have that family unit, were wounded. I was like that, bounced around and couch surfed and met some friends. And I have a drag mother who's from Calgary, she’s been my drag mother all along.
I actually have three drag mothers. My initial one is Justine Tyme, who I have my last name from – she's a legendary Canadian performer. Also, I have the first ‘Empress of Vancouver’, from 1972 I believe. She was very glamorous. Very community based. Magic. She's since passed but she inspired me, her and her partner who was one of the first prominent trans men in our community.
I also have another drag mother, ‘Queen Mother of the Americas,’ Nicole the Great. She's the head of the charity organisation called the Imperial Court System, legendary advocate and drag queen, but has real trans experience as well.
I look at all those people, who are very different people, but all provided a real nurturing aspect towards me as a queer person, as a trans person, as an Indigenous person. They saw something special in me and encouraged my confidence to show up in that way.
Extended family for me is very important, so now I play that role. I encourage people when I see good art, when I see good humanity in community. When people are being kind and using their voice and their platform for good, I recognise it. And that's how I build my family.
When did coming out as trans happen for you?
That's a great question... When I was young, you didn't see trans people on TV or working at the grocery store. In fact, you would just see it being made fun of on talk shows like Maury Povich and Jerry Springer. It was a deviant thing. I didn’t even know that’s what was going on, I just knew I wasn't what people thought I should be.
I started drag and that felt great because I could dress up like I had always been doing. It felt ‘right’ when I'd have makeup on, the hair, the wigs and dresses... but I still didn't know what it was. Anytime I was on stage, I felt something good and when I had to take it all off, I felt disconnected.
I liken it to somebody knocking on a door and you keep hearing the knock, but you just don't think about it, you got other things to do. Eventually, you've got to open the damn door. So, I opened the door and it was her, a part of me that just said, you know, you're on stage and you're feeling alive, but that is you.
I had to navigate what that looked like, but being a woman at that time was not safe for me. I was young and didn't have a lot of self-esteem, so my first real display of intimacy was through the sex trades. I hit the streets at a young age and that was challenging because the same men that used to bully me were now attracted to me. Over the years I'd go in and out, but it wasn't until I was almost 40 that I realised... What would life be like if I wasn't afraid to just be myself, to show up authentically every day, without worrying about what people think?
The most important thing is standing in my truth. I think it's up to each of us to share who we are when we find out who that is...
What is the level of awareness in Canada about the Sixties Scoop, and have there been any efforts to help survivors reconnect or receive an apology?
Well, I was part of a class action lawsuit and that's how I initially even realised what that fully was. I thought, oh, look, there's this thing you should apply for it because you were adopted, that's you... The thing is, I didn't get my status until I was 50 years old – my registration with a status card under the Indian Act – because I didn't have access to my adoption papers. They were sealed, even for me as a realised adult. To see if I was eligible to be part of that class action, the lawyers were able to open my adoption papers and give me confirmation of my ancestral territory on my father's and mother's side. So, it's only been the last four years that I've known the name of my reservation and where my grandmother is from, Now that I have all the history, I've been doing a lot of work, connecting...
It's important we create pathways and environments of discussion, to talk about the accurate history of our nation. Not only for us to decolonise environments and make them more inclusive for people, but also to remember that so many people have been displaced. We have a responsibility to create a place where they have access to resources, to heal through gender-based violence, through physical violence, through real repression. There's a lot of work to do. For myself, I didn't even realise the healing I needed because I just accepted things the way they were and got on with it. You know, they talk about resilience with Indigenous people... we are strong because we have to be.
So, as far as the government, they do provide opportunities. For example, I work with the Two-Spirit Program in research, so there is a space to share my lived experience and pathways, to create a life where I feel welcomed to be who I am.
Can you share more about your research work with the Two-Spirit Program?
So, I worked as an instructor at makeup school for many years. I worked with a lot of people, encouraging them to find their real strength, their core strength. For me, it was through the arts. Through my hardest times, I always knew to go back to the arts, and I was fortunate to be hired as a trans woman, to be a leader in a retail space that sold makeup, but also to instruct makeup technique to students.
I did that for a long time until I started to get more involved with Indigenous communities. I went to an event where Two-Spirit people led a room of inclusion and culture and I felt something profound from it, so I applied to work in research.
I'm not an academic, I'm an artist, and I find it really colonial when people talk about all these degrees. I felt it was not somewhere I would feel connected. But I had an interview, and we talked about what the definition of research was and the fact I've been doing it my entire life.
In order to make resources stronger and available for more people, it's important to have the words and viewpoints of somebody who’s lived it. So that's how I made that shift. I was a community leader with drag but to be in a group of Indigenous people, to strengthen the Two-Spirit identity and impact, was a calling.
I've been working within that program for over two years now. Within that time, it’s been great travelling to different nations and spending time with community, talking about the importance of our unity. And then... Drag Race!
How has life changed post-Drag Race? I imagine you have so much more visibility now...
Oh, it's a lot. It's really a lot. I start my day with affirmations about being in the moment and leading with gratitude and continuing to strengthen the pathway of abundance. I've had many years of navigating a lot of challenge, but a lot of points of freedom too, so I’ve accumulated the strength of lived experience. I’m going to be 54 soon and I focus on being really present. I still work with research but they're very flexible so even if I travel, I can work. I’m doing a lot of keynote speeches as well. I'm busy, but what I'm doing is all a complement, my schedule flows, it's a very rich tapestry of weaving.
And you know, now is the time for me. I'm very intentional of shifting away from being in a poverty mindset, always thinking that anybody else could buy a house but that it’s unattainable to me. Because that's what I've been told and what I've experienced, working really hard and not having a lot to show for it because I'm in survival mode. But now I'm just like, okay, continue that healing space. Do your work. But also, level up. You have this great experience. You're doing great work and people are inviting you to be part of these things. Of course they are. Well, have fun, respect the opportunity, the blessings of being able to do this kind of work. But don't tell yourself you're not worth it...
You mentioned affirmations there. Are any other mental health practices you use? What keeps you going when you hit hard times?
I love that question because I talk about this in almost every speech I do. I look at my life like a medicine wheel. I pay attention to that medicine wheel – physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally – and I'm attending to myself. Am I eating right and getting enough sleep? Am I spending time with people that see me? Am I really enjoying my art? If I'm neglecting something, I pay attention to that. As long as I do that, no matter what I have to face, I can get through it.
For the majority of my life, I would wake up with anxiety and accepted that as reality. But now I’m building a relationship with a doctor, to truly take care of my health and explore talking about ADHD and things like that. A lot of people are undiagnosed for their whole life because they don’t see themselves as valuable, as worth being taken care of, that there is actually a healing path. They just accept it.
So, I continue to do things that make me feel balanced. For me, it's my artwork. I keep connected with art and music. Sometimes I put on affirmations, I have app on my phone and do 20-minute intervals. I do breathwork exercises. I literally remind myself how amazing my life is... You know what? There's a bunch of stuff out there you feel anxiety about but let's take a look at how things are. First and foremost, you have a roof. You've got a bed. Great pillows – I mean, that's important. A cute dog. You live in Vancouver in a beautiful area. You don't have to worry about paying rent. Coming from a place where you've experienced not having any of that, it's a pretty good life. So just get back on track.
But I feel for people who can't say that. I work with a lot of young people and I say, find the people who allow you to be fabulous, allow you to be vulnerable, allow you to be frustrated, allow you to be weird. Find those people, because that's going to be your strength. There's a whole world out there of people that don't get us, don't understand us, but there are a core group of people you can connect to. If they're in a remote area and don't know who to connect to, I said go to social media, an Instagram page, where you see what people are posting that feels good and follow that...
I love it when people reach out to me. Sometimes it's parents saying, ‘I don't know how to help my child, but I saw you on Drag Race and wonder if you know of any resources I could refer them to?’ And I love that so much because I'm not a therapist, but I can guide you to some really great resources. So those are the little tips I give – just gravitate towards things that feel good and know that even if you're feeling really crummy, that's going to pass.
Outside of drag, what brings you joy?
Joy is my focus. Because I still have a challenge being mindful of joy, even though it's all around me. It really is all around me, but because I’ve had to be so protective my entire life, I have to remind myself to have fun. Joy to me is being connected with people. For example, I went out the other day because this charity organisation was having a barbecue. And I really wanted a hot dog. So, I went down there to get the hot dog but then started to see people I hadn't seen in a long time and it was a sunny day and it was spring and there was this wonderful happy energy of people being together.
I felt real joy because I don't have to rush, I can get my hot dog, I can talk with people. I'm always in a rush to be somewhere and now, after Drag Race, you’ve got to be really aware of what you're wearing, what you say when you're at events, you've got to plan your schedule, you’ve got to be on. But randomly going to get a hot dog landed in a little reminder that conversation with other people, in a space that has been created for us, is a blissful state to be in.
I will walk down the street and look at the huge trees around me and remind myself how beautiful this moment is, right now, around me. How amazing it is that these trees keep each other alive and they’re so green and vibrant. What a beautiful life! I've done extensive work within federal corrections where people can't take that walk. So I think to myself, just be respectful, be mindful of people in the world and know that you are a sacred person and you deserve that same care. And so, I'm like the mom to me, you know?
Are you able to say more about your work with federal corrections?
Well, it's one of those things where it's your call to be of service. Somebody invited me to be part of their Pride event in 2019, then invited me back to work with some of the trans people there. At first, it was a couple of hours, then every week. I ended up going and sitting in different environments with people – maximum security and medium and minimum – just creating a space of discussion with the Two-Spirit community, the trans community as well as the gender nonconforming, and even parents who have Two-Spirit kids.
The reality is that 80% of people incarcerated in that space are Indigenous, so that says a lot. And so we sit in ceremony with elders, we smudge and there's plant medicine and there's important discussion. That really helped teach me about ceremony, to have the elders teach me how to create spaces and hold spaces for people. So now I take that into the community... As a trans woman of colour, the life expectancy for us worldwide is just over the age of 30. So me being in my 50s now, I gladly walk this earth to be of service, to offer support in ceremony.
And let me tell you something... when I went back after Drag Race, they didn't know I was coming back and a trans woman came around the corner and saw me and screamed, because they’d been watching me on TV together. So I came back and was sitting with them and I just realised... people really need me. And as a young person, I never felt that, I always felt like I was getting in the way.
So the work I do is important. I'm important. And I encourage people to realise the power inside of them is to be their authentic truth, whoever that is. That if they don't actually feel they are seen, heard or valued... shame on the world. We talk about ‘every child matters’ – well, let's think about who let those children down. So I show up in that way and I listen to the stories and I understand that it's important to have spaces like that. There is consequence to actions and we need to keep our community safe but it's important to recognise that it’s called ‘corrections’. You start that kind of healing work when you're seen, heard and valued. That's when you can do the work, be able to make decisions that are better for yourself and others. If you don't feel seen or heard or valued, why bother?
Wrapping up, and talking about children, what advice would you give to a young person beginning the transition process, or for parents of trans children?
My advice is to confirm that it's a scary time right now – because we're seeing stuff online, on the news and TV, and they're scared. I appreciate that it seems like a really scary time, and it is, but I also want to remind you that for many, many years, there have been countless people creating resources for the journey of the trans experience. So, we're all still here. The people out there to offer you support and guidance are there. Remember that. We’ve had to fight before as a community. We're good at that. So, for the people that are having that challenge, seeing that there’s blocks for gender-affirming care, just know there's also groups of people you can reach out to. If you don't feel like you have that voice yet, they have the voice, they will guide you towards the support that you need. So many of our elders that came before us have created this. We're still here. We always have been. And we're not going anywhere.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
* The Sixties Scoop refers to a period in Canadian history, roughly from the 1950s to the 1980s, when thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families by child welfare authorities and placed into foster care or adopted into non-Indigenous homes. This was done without the consent of their families or communities and many children lost their language, culture, and connection to community. It’s now recognised as a continuation of colonial assimilation policies with lasting traumatic impacts.
