When when I’m in a queer bar, people often assume I’m straight. Why?
Video: André Kloer
Text: Tim van Erp
Photo: Jon Haywood
Youth Pride Ambassador Gwen Dalin (19) isn’t allowed to perform in clubs and at festivals yet for two years, but she’s already making big strides as a drag queen. Her biggest supporters are her parents and fellow queens. ‘I used to watch together with my dad on the couch asRuPaul’s Drag Race.’
Looking back at her performances, one conclusion is obvious: drag queen Gwen Dalin adores Lady Gaga.Abracadabra, Monster, Sour Candy, Perfect Celebrity, Aura, Venus… they’ve all come up during her shows. She credits her dad for that. He had an iPod when little Gwen, or rather little Lynn, was about five. EspeciallyLoveGame by Lady Gaga and Give It 2 Me by Madonna she listened to on repeat. “Those two songs sparked my obsession with music.”
That obsession with music grew into a passion for drag. And her father grew along with it: he regularly does photoshoots with his daughter, accompanies her to shows and jokingly calls himselfdadager’, a playful nod to Kris Jenner. While both her father and mother have beensupportive from the start, some people find it harder to understand that a woman can be a drag queen. As Youth Pride Ambassador 2025, Gwen wants to raise awareness about that.
Gwen, whose everyday name is Lynn van Horik, is only nineteen. She’s been doing drag for five years, though gigs came later because minors aren’t allowed to perform in clubs. She’s made up for lost time — bookings are pouring in. Gwen shows the Notes app on her phone where she tracks all bookings and earnings. “My dad helps with the invoices. Everything I earn goes into a business account. I save as much as I can. Of course I sometimes see things I want to buy, but I can usually hold back.”
Gwen won’t get out of bed for less than 150 euros, exceptions aside. “Sometimes there are big gigs at places I really want to perform, and then I’ll do it for less. But normally I stick firmly to that minimum. Do you know how much it costs me just to travel to Amsterdam? Then you add outfits, wigs and makeup.”
Gwen — who wears a pink collar in her ambassador portrait as a secret love message referencing her dog Joey — lives in Amersfoort with her parents. “I can’t afford to live in Amsterdam with its high rents yet. Also, I study in Utrecht, which is closer to Amersfoort.” She studies creative business and is in her first year. “My teachers often think it’s really cool when they learn I do drag.”
Friendly queens
Still, she’s often in Amsterdam for her own shows or those of colleagues. “Last night I was at Blend with a fellow drag queen and didn’t get home from Amsterdam until half past three. Luckily I could sleep in today. I often stay with Keta Minaj, my drag mother. We met by chance at a drag event in London and kept in touch. She’s 43 and I’m 19, but we get along really well: we’re both Libras and both ADHD chaos monsters, haha. At some point we were together so often people assumed I was her drag daughter. So I asked her if I could be.”
Another friend, drag queen Miss Abby OMG, is also a big fan of Gwen. “Abby was the first queen I ever saw perform. I became an instant fan. Last October I met her for the first time and got to do a guest spot during her set. She wasgagged and said: ‘I’m going to book you!’ She did that last February. For me it felt like a full-circle moment. Did I ask her for tips?” She laughs: “Um, not really.”
And you can’t blame her — Gwen’s doing brilliantly, though she still has big dreams. “When season 3 ofDrag Race Holland is coming… I’d love to audition for that. I want to be the first woman to take part in the show. I can also sew, dance and sing — not perfectly, but well enough.”
But first: Pride. Gwen has big plans for that too. “I’ll definitely perform on the main stage during the closing party, I’ll be at Pride Park and I’ll march in the Pride March. I want queer women to be in the spotlight. When when I’m in a queer bar and not in drag, people often assume I’m a straight woman. Why? That should change. I also want to organise a drag event for teens aged fourteen and up. Something people under eighteen can attend, because there’s nothing for them. Before I turned eighteen I couldn’t go anywhere either. I also have friends under eighteen who still haven’t seen me perform.”
Lip-syncing in the car
Although her options were limited, Gwen has fond memories of her early years as a drag artist. “Practising makeup and making outfits, watchingRuPaul’s Drag Race the show with my dad on the couch. That series made me decide: I want to do this too. The first time I made a look, it was a disaster. It didn’t look right. A year later I’d practised more and decided: I’m really going to do this. One day I came down the stairs made up and said to my parents: ‘Hey, I’m Gwen!’”
Her parents played a part in shaping her ambition, she says jokingly. “As a kid I always sang along to music in the backseat. They’d say: ‘Try singing without the sound.’ So I started lip-syncing. I think that’s where it began,” she laughs. “Oh, and my aunt influenced me too! She used to be a makeup artist and often gave me her old makeup.”
Dad used to be a photographer and picked up the hobby again for his daughter. “I used to take selfies when I finished a look, now we do full shoots together. At seventeen I finally had my first performance, through a friend. My dad came along. I behaved myself, didn’t drink, and got home on time. For my second gig I had to wait until after my birthday.” How did she come up with the name Gwen Dalin? “My official name is Gwendolynn, that’s where it comes from. I really couldn’t think of another name. Dalin also sounds a bit like ‘darling’.It kinda stuck. Now I actually can’t change it anymore, haha.”
Not everyone gets the idea of a woman being a drag queen. “People sometimes say things like: ‘Isn’t that supposed to be a drag king?’ Or: ‘This is just theatre, not drag’. Usually I think:whatever, you clearly don’t know drag. As long as the people who book me and work with me respect me, I’m fine with it.”
Gwen’s parents will be at Pride too. They’ve taken a week off so they can come watch their daughter. And especially her dad has plans: “He wants the word ‘dadager’ printed on a T-shirt,” she laughs. “Yes, my dad is a real king. When he comes to a show, my drag colleagues sometimes ask: when will we see your dad again?”
Pride ambassador since 2025
