Despite otherwise growing up surrounded by love, Queen of the Universe season 1 champion and Drag Race Brasil host Grag Queen went through conversion therapy during her youth. “It started mostly at school, when my mom got asked if she would decide whether I was a boy or a girl,” recalls the multi-talented artist. “That was the first time she brought a pastor in, who claimed that there was a devil in me. Something like that can be very damaging for a young kid.”
For Grag, a process that started with fasting and being forced to date girls quickly evolved into much more sinister tactics, such as listening to the testimonies of people who claimed they no longer identified as LGBTQ+, undergoing electric shock treatments, and repeating religious mantras to reaffirm that she wouldn’t “go back” to homosexuality. “The cure never came for anyone,” Grag notes, who uses she/her pronouns. “But it’s taken me a long time to feel like I belonged and had worth. That’s trauma that I still carry, even to this day.”
Grégory Crescencio da Silva Mohd, better known as Grag Queen, wants to prevent others from experiencing the trauma of conversion therapy. Gustavo Arrais
Thankfully, the Brazilian singer, TV host, and drag performer not only survived, but thrived, and now finds herself in a position to inspire others through her talents, strength, and life story.
“I want to tell young LGBTQ+ people that you’re free to be who you are. Don’t give up on yourself,” Grag says. “That’s why I recently collaborated with Editora Taverna on The Cure — a short film to spread awareness about these inhumane practices and call for the criminalization of conversion therapy. We want to make sure that your story, and my story, are not in vain.”
Following her collaboration in The Cure, Grag is working on a new album that she describes as a “new expression of myself.” Mixing up disco influences, Brazilian sounds, and Carnaval instrumentals, the album serves as a reunion between Grag and the rhythms that made her fall in love with music.
Watch The Cure here:
