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) has been too young to perform in clubs and at festivals for less than two years, yet she’s already building an impressive name for herself as a drag queen. Her biggest supporters are her parents and fellow queens. “I used to watch together with my dad on the couch as RuPaul’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 my acts. It’s because of my dad, she says. He had an iPod when little Gwen, or actually little Lynn, was about five. She especially listened on repeat to LoveGame by Lady Gaga and Give It 2 Me by Madonna. “Those two tracks were the start of my obsession with music.”
That obsession with music grew into a passion for drag. And her dad came along for the ride: he regularly does photoshoots with his daughter, accompanies her to gigs and jokingly calls himself ‘dadager’, a playful nod to Kris Jenner. While both her father and mother have supported her 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.supportiveGwen, whose everyday name is Lynn van Horik, is only nineteen. She’s been doing drag for five years, though the gigs came later because underage performers aren’t allowed in clubs. She’s more than made up for it since. Bookings are pouring in. Gwen shows the Notes app on her phone where she keeps track of every booking and what she earns from them. “My dad helps with the invoices. Everything I earn goes into a business account. I save as much as possible. Of course I sometimes see things I want to buy, but I can usually control myself.”
Gwen won’t get out of bed for less than €150. Exceptions apply. “Sometimes there are big gigs at places I really want to perform, then I’ll do it for less. But normally I stick to that minimum very strictly. Do you know how much it costs me just to travel to Amsterdam? Then add outfits, wigs and makeup on top of that.”
Gwen — who wears a pink collar in her ambassador portrait as a secret love note referring to her dog Joey — lives in Amersfoort with her parents. “I don’t earn enough from performing yet to live in Amsterdam with its high rents. Besides, I study in Utrecht, which is closer to Amersfoort.” She’s studying creative business in her first year. “My teachers often think it’s really cool when they hear I do drag.”
Friends in the scene
She’s still often in Amsterdam for her own shows or those of colleagues. “Last night I was at Blend with a fellow drag queen; I 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, haha. Eventually we spent so much time together people thought I was her drag daughter. So I asked if I could be.”
Another friend in drag, Miss Abby OMG, is also a big fan of Gwen. “Abby was the first queen I ever saw perform. I became a fan immediately. Last October I met her for the first time and was allowed to do a guest spot in her performance. She was
and said: ‘I’m going to book you!’ She did in February. That felt like a full‑circle moment for me. Did I ask her for tips?” She laughs: “Um, not really.”gaggedAnd you can hardly blame her: Gwen is thriving. But she still has plenty of dreams. “When season 3 of
is coming… I’d definitely audition for that. I want to be the first woman to compete on the show. I can sew, dance and sing — not perfectly, but good enough.”Drag Race HollandBut first: Pride. Gwen has big plans for that too. “I’ll definitely be on the main stage during the closing party, I’ll be at Pride Park and I’ll march in the Pride March. I want to put queer women 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 from fourteen — a place under‑18s can go, because there’s nothing for them. Before I turned eighteen I couldn’t go anywhere either. I have friends under eighteen who still haven’t been able to see me perform.”
Lip‑syncing in the car
Although her options were limited, Gwen has good memories of her early years as a drag artist. “Practising makeup and making outfits, sitting on the couch with my dad
and watching. That series made me decide: I want to do this too. The first time I made a look it was terrible. It didn’t look good. A year later I’d practiced more and decided: I’m going to do this for real. One time I came down the stairs full‑face and said to my parents: ‘Hey, I’m Gwen!’”RuPaul’s Drag RaceHer parents played a role in shaping her ambition, she says jokingly. “As a child I always sang along to music in the backseat. They’d tell me: ‘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 the hobby up again for his daughter. “I used to take selfies when I finished a look; now we do full shoots together. When I was seventeen I finally had my first gig, through a friend. My dad came along. I behaved myself: no drinking, 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 can’t change it anyway, haha.”. By the way, I can’t change it anymore, haha.
Not everyone understands the concept of a woman being a drag queen. “People sometimes say things like: ‘Shouldn’t that be a drag king?’ Or: ‘This is just theatre, not drag.’ I usually think: whatever, you clearly don’t know much about 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 took a week off so they can come and watch their daughter. And especially her dad has plans: “He wants to have the word ‘dadager’ printed on a T‑shirt,” she laughs. “Yes, my father is quite the king. When he’s been to a show my drag colleagues sometimes ask: when will we see your dad again?”
Pride ambassador since 2025
