Kimmy Couture (born September 30, 1996) is a
Filipino-Canadian
Filipino Canadians (French: ''Canadiens philippins''; Filipino: ''Mga Pilipinong Kanadyense'') are Canadians of Filipino descent. Filipino Canadians are the fourth largest subgroup of the overseas Filipinos and one of the fastest-growing groups ...
known for being the first
transgender contestant on ''
Canada's Drag Race'' when she competed on
season 3 of the series.
Career
Kimmy Couture was first introduced to drag by friends in 2011 who got her a gig, following which club managers "loved all her performances" and continued to book her.
During this time, she also performed under the name Kimmy Dymond. In 2018, she was crowned Ms
Capital Pride, becoming the first transgender woman to win the title.
She also appeared on
CTV News in 2019, as well as being part of the first
Winter Pride in February 2019 as part of
Winterlude.
In 2021, Kimmy Couture was prominently featured in the documentary ''(613) Queens'' by Rowan O'Brien, along with drag daughter Jasmine Dymond, which showcased the local Ottawa drag scene.
In 2022, Kimmmy Couture was announced as one of the twelve queens competing on the third season of ''Canada's Drag Race''.
In episode 2, she won the maxi challenge for her performance in the Who-Knows Awards, a parody of the
Juno Awards. She impersonated American singer-songwriter
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
for the
Snatch Game challenge, a performance which landed her in the bottom. She won the
lip sync against
Lady Boom Boom
Lady Boom Boom is the stage name of Henri Delisle Langlois, a Canadian drag performer who competed on season 3 of ''Canada's Drag Race''.
Education
Lady Boom Boom is trained in design.
Career
In 2017, she participated in ''Ils de jour, el ...
to "
Run Away with Me" by
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
. Kimmy Couture ranked in the bottom again in episode 8, beating
Vivian Vanderpuss
Vivian Vanderpuss is the stage name of Mackenzie Lemire, a Canadian drag performer most known for competing on the third season of ''Canada's Drag Race'', winning the title of Miss Congeniality.
Early life
Lemire is originally from Kingsville, ...
in a lip sync to
Rêve's "CTRL + ALT + DEL". Kimmy Couture made it to the finale but was eliminated by the judges before the final lip sync, placing in joint 3rd with
Miss Fiercalicious
Miss Fiercalicious is the stage name of Paulo Fortes (born August 7, 1996), a Canadian drag performer who competed on the Canada's Drag Race (season 3), third season of ''Canada's Drag Race'' and the The Traitors (Canadian season 1), first season ...
.
Kimmy Couture was chosen as the headliner for the 2022
Capital Pride,
and appeared in Winter Pride 2023 co-headlining the drag show with
Jada Shada Hudson
Jada Shada Hudson is the stage name of Dwight Giraud, a Barbadian-Canadian drag performer who competed on season 3 of ''Canada's Drag Race''.
Career
Jada Shada Hudson is a drag performer. She has performed at drag shows in Toronto.
Jada Shad ...
, Miss Fiercalicious, and local Ottawa drag performers. Kimmy Couture also attended the 2023 edition of
RuPaul's DragCon UK
RuPaul's DragCon UK is an fan convention and expo of drag culture held in London, UK. The convention debuted on January 18, 2020. It's based on the successful RuPaul's DragCon LA and NYC, which are related to the popular television show: ''RuP ...
.
In June 2023, she received a Plaque of Awards from the
Southern Leyte Pride Federation and the
Province of Southern Leyte as part of the province's 63rd anniversary. The award was in recognition of "Outstanding Contributions and Achievements in the Field of Arts and Entertainment" and for "exemplary leadership, dedication, and excellence in advocating and empowering the LGBT community".
Personal life
Kim Couture was born in
Southern Leyte,
Philippines, and immigrated to Canada around 2011. She is a
transgender woman and uses both ''she''/''her'' and
''they''/''them'' pronouns in and out of drag.
She currently lives in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario.
Her "drag mother" is
Icesis Couture, winner of
season 2 of Canada's Drag Race.
Following her time on ''Drag Race'', Kimmy Couture discussed how masculinity-centered challenges during the season triggered feelings of
gender dysphoria
Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder (GID) was used until ...
.
She also discussed how members of marginalized communities, such as being
trans and a
person of colour, can come with the expectation to educate people outside of those communities on issues, stating that it felt like her life was just about "answering the same questions" over and over again.
Filmography
Film
Television
Web series
Podcasts
Discography
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimmy Couture
Living people
21st-century Canadian LGBT people
21st-century Filipino LGBT people
Canadian people of Filipino descent
Filipino drag queens
Canadian drag queens
Canada's Drag Race contestants
People from Southern Leyte
Transgender drag performers
Filipino emigrants to Canada
1996 births
Drag performers from Ottawa