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The Christmas Queen
Tynomi Banks celebrates the holidays with glittery gowns, ’90s pop music and an annual feast
| December 16, 2019
Drag queen Tynomi Banks is one of Toronto’s most prolific performers: she struts, death-drops and twirls everywhere from drag brunches to the Power Ball. Banks—the supermodel alter ego of Sheldon McIntosh—works the party circuit right up until Christmas Eve. Then she shelves her stilettos and heads to her mom’s house in Whitby to watch old-school Christmas movies and gorge on a traditional feast—with a few Jamaican dishes on the side. On Christmas Day, Banks heads back to the city to dance to holiday songs at Woody’s. “For many people in the gay community, we’re their chosen family, so performing on Christmas means a lot to me.”
Her Holiday Traditions
More Holiday Stuff
Jean Grant has been a freelance writer since 2015, covering a range of lifestyle topics like shopping, interiors, wellness and culture for publications like Maclean’s and Toronto Life. She also enjoys working with brands to develop custom content, and shares personal essays through her Substack newsletter, Nobody is Thinking About You.