All drag queens ask is that you be yourself
Video: André Kloer
Text: Tim van Erp
Photo: Jon Haywood
Becoming a Pride Ambassador had been on drag artist Janey Jacké’s (33) wishlist for years. This year it finally happened. Maybe at just the right moment. ‘I feel like I’m truly ready now.’
Things are going very well for Janey Jacké. “Every year better and better, really. I’m happy, working hard, and very pleased with how things are going. I can’t say otherwise.” Janey had been building her career for years as a drag queen in Amsterdam when, thanks to her participation in the first Dutch season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2020 she became nationally known. She finished in second place. Two years later she competed in RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs The World, an international all-stars edition of the show. She reached the semi-finals there.
She didn’t stand still after that. She became a judge on the RTL4 show Make Up Your Mind, which features Dutch celebrities performing in drag. She was a contestant onWie is de Mol?. Last year she won the European drag championships. She also took part in Miss Continental in the US, where she placed sixth and became the first European contestant to win the Talent Round. So “every year better and better” fits quite well.
Janey was born 33 years ago as Justin Mooijer and grew up in Volendam. When when she goes out as Justin, Janey is never far away — her long acrylic nails and shaved eyebrows give that away. In her portrait as Pride Ambassador we see her, however, in full glory as Janeyherself. Including her hidden message to the theme LOVE: her dress, designed and made with love.
She took her first steps as a drag queen at sixteen at a friend’s party — from the attention and compliments she immediately noticed she had a knack for it. She honed her skills in Amsterdam’s nightlife, under the wing of some other well-known queens.
So it’s not surprising that Janey has always been busy with Pride in previous years. “I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities. Performing, of course, on different boats, for example. I hosted the closing party on Dam Square and got to introduce fantastic artists: Melanie C, Eleni Foureira, Conchita Wurst. All those special parties, the chaotic buzz on Reguliersdwarsstraat… naming one favourite moment is impossible. It’s mainly the overarching feeling Pride gives me each year: love, togetherness, and inspiration.”
A harsh conservative wind
When the Pride organisation called to ask her to be an Ambassador, Janey wasn’t particularly surprised. “I had hoped to do this for a while. But I must say it feels like the right moment. I feel like I’m truly ready now. A few years ago I might still have been searching: who is Janey and what does she stand for? Because Drag Race threw us into the world as a group of girls, we began to see our differences more clearly. I now know what message I want to share. I share that message, for example, in talks I give regularly, at schools and companies. I talk about what makes us unique and what connects us. The world often focuses on people’s differences, but we all want the same things: to be loved, heard, inspired. If we approached things more from those commonalities, there might be less polarisation, hate, and discrimination.”
The harsh right-wing wind currently blowing does concern her. “Especially everything happening in the US. I’m very worried about that. Like the rest of the world, I think. I’ve worked there and competed in contests, but I also have friends and colleagues living there. Where is this heading for them, what do Trump’s actions mean for their lives? Here in the Netherlands we also have a right-wing cabinet, but at least laws aren’t being rolled back.”
In the current political and social climate drag artists face a lot of abuse: “People assume we try to influence others or ‘convert children to our lifestyle’, for example with reading sessions. We’re not doing that at all. All we want is for you to be yourself. To allow yourself and others to be themselves. Sometimes, when I see negative comments online, I engage in the discussion. I want to explain how things really are. But I know that’s pointless: some people don’t want to learn or understand. I prefer to focus on those who come to shows or watch the programmes I’m in. Connecting with them is much more important.”
Pelted with M&M’s
On the street, fortunately, Janey notices little of that online hate. “I know unpleasant things happen in real life too, but I thankfully experience little of it. Partly because I sometimes don’t notice it. A side effect of fame: I don’t always realise when people look at me or talk about me. Friends notice it before I do: ‘Did you see how that person looked at you?’ No, I didn’t. Not when the look is positive and not when it’s negative. I just live my life.”
Janey says that when she walks the streets in drag she often receives compliments and kind remarks from passers-by. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a darker side. “Recently I was in the car on my way to Amsterdam wearing pink sunglasses and a sheepskin coat. When I tried to enter the parking garage, a group of boys started shouting and threw M&M’s at my car. I thought: what a warm welcome to the city I love so much.” Did that not scare her? “Right. I found it mostly funny and very, very sad. I thought: what do you achieve with this? I just don’t understand why my presence provokes such a reaction.” She corrects herself: “No. Not ‘provokes’. Because I didn’t.”
She doesn’t get scared easily anymore. “That was a conscious choice: not to allow that feeling anymore. Fifteen years ago I was beaten up in Volendam, where I’m from. The time after that was terrible. I became panicky: can I take this route? If those boys get on the bus, should I sit somewhere else? I didn’t want to live like that. So I don’t allow that feeling anymore.”
Easier said than done? “Yes, many people tell me that. But it works for me. I hope I can be an example for others. Of course I have bad days too. And it’s always wise to listen to your instincts and keep assessing the safety of situations. But that constant underlying fear — I didn’t want that anymore.”
Janey’s ambassadorship brings, hand in hand with her inspiring message, a healthy dose of entertainment. “You automatically get that with a drag queen, just as drag automatically has a political edge. I’m an entertainer: it’s about having fun and celebrating life. Tears and laughter. That entertainment side also makes things lighter and more human. Not a politician’s speech in a tie, but a more accessible way of connecting.” So how exactly will Janey fill the ambassadorship? Referring to Lady Gaga she laughs: “No sleep! Bus, club, another club, another club, plane, next place!” Clearly: this will be awild ride.
Pride ambassador since 2025
