Matt Crockett
Disruptors
Jimbo
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
It was a long journey for Jimbo, a self-described drag clown from Canada, to enter the werk room of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8. Excluding the all-winners season that took place in 2022 — which featured Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne — Jimbo became the first international queen to appear as a contestant in All Stars herstory.
“My life’s mission is to create beauty, spread joy, give love, and be generous,” Jimbo says. “I am so proud to be gay, to be different, and to be myself. I can say that now because of the lives and work of so many LGBTQ+ people before me. I want to be one of those people for future generations, so they too can live and thrive where they are safe and accepted.”
Back in 2020, Jimbo became an instant fan favorite upon entering the competition of Canada’s Drag Race season 1, placing fourth overall. Two years later, she got to compete in front of Mama Ru in the first edition of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs the World but was suddenly eliminated by a fellow queen for being a front-runner. In both experiences, her time was cut short before she had a chance to snatch the crown.
They say the third time’s a charm, and that’s precisely what happened to this Canadian queen. In 2023 Jimbo was cast on All Stars 8, won four maxi challenges throughout the competition, and was inducted into the Drag Race Hall of Fame at the grand finale. And in a year when drag artists are constantly being targeted by conservative forces, Jimbo’s reign of laughter and joy has been much needed.
“I am working to overcome the anti-drag bills and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric by being unafraid, loving life, and sharing my truth authentically and proudly,” Jimbo says. @jimbothedragclown
Disruptors
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Photo by Luke Fontana
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland — the national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA — oversees the world’s largest entertainment union, which boasts over 160,000 members. And along with SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, he’s one of the faces of their strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
As one of the few out leaders of a major entertainment group, Crabtree-Ireland knows that the fight for labor and LGBTQ+ equality go hand in hand. “One of the things that we’re fighting for is basic equity, inclusion, and fairness in the industry,” he says. “And I’m proud to say that SAG-AFTRA has been at the forefront of making sure that the entire American scene is represented on film, television, and streaming — and that’s a fight that we’re in for the long run.”
And there is a lesson to be learned from the strike to advance change, which is the power of solidarity. “When we stand together and when we fight together, that’s how we win,” he says. “Division always weakens us. Unity strengthens us.”
The outcome of Crabtree-Ireland’s advocacy through the SAG-AFTRA strike will determine the future of how actors and other entertainment professionals are treated in show business, as technological advances like streaming services and AI impact their careers and livelihoods. But the country’s largest strike in 26 years has also helped fuel a revolution for workers in hospitality, the automotive industry, and beyond.
This revolution shows the power of a compelling narrative. In fact, one of his biggest challenges during the strike was the task of clearly communicating SAG-AFTRA’s message “with the rest of the community, the industry, and the world so that everyone understood why we’re in the fight that we’re in, and how it was going to change everything for the better.” Clearly, the message has gotten through.
This year, Crabtree-Ireland is proud “to fight against the biggest companies in the world and say we demand to be treated with respect and fairness.” @duncanci