Meet Ruby Chopstix, Manitobas first drag artist-in-residence [Video]

Ruby Chopstix’s rise to Winnipeg stardom literally started from the bottom.

Deep in the bowels of a local theatre basement, Chopstix made her debut as a drag queen in front of a small crowd who had gathered to watch a local talent show.

Without so much as a smear of makeup, Chopstix’s face was hardly “beat for the gods” – how the drag community describes a flawless look – when she performed a five-minute lip-sync, something she doesn’t recommend for first-timers.

Nearly six years later, the self-proclaimed Asian pop princess of Winnipeg humbly reflects on that “awful” performance as she celebrates being crowned the first drag artist-in-residence at the Rainbow Resource Centre, an organization advocating for LGBTQ+ and two-spirit residents.

“People keep telling me I’m the first. It’s a little nerve-racking to think about,” Chopstix, who also goes by Alex Nguyen, said in a recent interview.

“Whatever happens, I’m going …