Text: Paul Hofman
Photo: Rob Jacobs
Hair: Jean baptiste Santens
Video: Paradox Productions
Boris Itzkovich Escobar (33) is better known by his stage name Envy Peru. Like ambassador Paul Morris, she is originally from South America.Drag queen,actor, model and makeup artist Envy Peru became a winner of the TV show ‘Drag Race Holland’ a few years ago. This year the drag queen shines not only on stage but also as an ambassador for Pride 2022.
Now that corona measures have been lifted she is busier than ever. She is the country’s first Drag Race Superstar. It is a great honour for her. ‘Just like being asked to be an ambassador for Pride.’ How did that happen? ‘You don’t become an ambassador by chance. You represent the LGBT community and that carries great responsibility. For me it means I’m seen as a role model and I find that a great honour—especially when you consider where I come from.’
Latino
‘Paul Morris and I were invited by Lucien Spee when we were guests on a New Year’s special ofdrag queen Niki Today. Paul and I have been very close friends for years and that makes our ambassadorship even more special. I think it’s wonderful that we have at least two Latino representatives. It’s fantastic. I’m genuinely grateful for it.’
The theme is close to Envy’s heart. ‘My Gender, My Pridemeans to me that whoever you are and whatever you do, embrace it and be proud. It’s a freedom to be yourself and not be put in a box.’
Friends
Envy remembers her first Pride as if it were yesterday. ‘I was nineteen. I went with my two best friends. I was still fully in the closet and it was very exciting. I remember seeing Megan Schoonbrood and Sugi on the canal near Leidsestraat. I watched them in awe. Back then I hadn’t often seendrag queensbefore. It was incredibly beautiful.’ That she would later perform herself as Envy Peru she could not have imagined. ‘Not for a moment did I think I was looking at my own future and that I would ever do this myself.’
Diva
How did her name come about? ‘My mother raised me with a deep love for my roots. When I chose mydragname I definitely wanted a connection to Peru because I’m very proud of the culture I come from. I want to give my birth country the representation it often lacks.Envy means to envy and admire someone. I mean that someone from Peru is more than the stereotype of little Indians, pan flutes and llamas. Someone from Peru can also be a stunningqueen and diva.’
As adrag queenshe wants to build bridges between the LGBT community and the rest of the world. ‘I can use my platform for that. This community has supported me so much over the years. I want to give back to those who have given so much.’
Art form
She is without doubt a role model for immigrants, Envy says. ‘I’ve come a long way. As an undocumented immigrant I came to the Netherlands at five. I spent seven years in children’s homes and foster families because my mother couldn’t care for me for a while.’ At eighteen she went to live with her mother again. ‘I then began to discover who I am. Through hard work and determination you can make your dreams come true in a new country. I consider myself rich because of the experiences I lived through at a young age. Despite everything I have stayed positive about the future.’
She’s proud of her craft. ‘Dragwas mainly appreciated within ourcommunity.I bring it to a wider audience. You know, there are still so many prejudices about our art form. I hope that when people outside our community see or hear me, I can change their minds and that itdragbecomes normalised.Drag is an art form.
As an ambassador and as adrag queen she is full of energy. Still, Envy has some worries. ‘There’s a fear we might go backwards. I don’t think LGBT people are yet sufficiently protected against discrimination and violence. That really needs to change. I have a lot of faith in the openness of the new generation. Unfortunately they are not yet the leaders of tomorrow. I hope to live long enough to see every member of ourcommunity community be free to love whoever they want.’
When asked who she considers her greatest example, Envy answers without hesitation: ‘That is my mother. When she had me, at a young age she had to give up a lot to give me a better future. At 24, with a four-year-old child, she emigrated illegally to another country. Many would not do that. She succeeded and I am eternally grateful for that.’
Pride ambassador since 2022
