'You can just do you': Boy, 10, founds a drag club for KIDS so they can express themselves in a 'positive, encouraging, and safe' space

  • Desmond Napoles from Brooklyn in New York City is better known by his drag name, Desmond is Amazing
  • He started dressing up as a toddler and began wearing dresses aged six
  • He has since appeared in a music video with RuPaul and his performance at Gay Pride in New York in 2015 went viral
  • An active member in the LGBTQ community, Desmond now wants to inspire other young people and promote anit-bullying and suicide prevention 
  • He is launching Haus of Amazing, a drag club for 'drag kids'
  • He also hopes to have a fashion and cosmetics line in the future  

Drag clubs are nothing new in New York City — but it took a 10-year-old to dream up the first drag club for children.

Desmond Napoles from Brooklyn in New York City is better known by his drag name, Desmond is Amazing. Though still quite young, he first expressed an interest in dressing up in drag as a toddler and has become somewhat of a celebrity on the drag circuit. 

And he is convinced that there are more kids out there just like him. So now, the precocious youngster is launching Haus of Amazing, the 'first and only drag club for kids,' where no adults are allowed.

Amazing: The youngster just opened his own drag club for kids - Haus of Amazing - in Brooklyn

Amazing: 10-year-old Desmond Napoles from Brooklyn in New York City has founded the first drag club for kids

Alter ego: The pre-teen is better known by his drag name, Desmond is Amazing
Dress up: Desmond first started dressing up as a toddler and started wearing dressed aged six

Alter ego: The pre-teen is better known by his drag name, Desmond is Amazing

Natural performer: Desmond has appeared in a music video with RuPaul and has also participated in New York Gay Pride since 2015

Natural performer: Desmond has appeared in a music video with RuPaul and has also participated in New York Gay Pride since 2015

When Desmond was younger, he would fashion bed sheets and towels into dresses and wigs, and would 'clomp up and down the hallway in his mother's high heels.'

'Ever since day one... ever since I was able to walk, I used to take my mom's towels and take her heels and clomp around the house. [I'd] put the towel on my head, wrap a towel around my body and walk the runway down my house,' he revealed to Out

At age five, he liked to play with toy trains, maps, video games, and Barbies but when he was six, an Elsa from Frozen costume changed everything — and Desmond started asking his parents for princess costumes or dresses when they were out shopping. 

Admitting that they were concerned about how other people might perceive their son, Desmond's parents consulted a therapist for advice on what to do. 

The therapist advised them that the best course of action was to do nothing, and let Desmond develop naturally and explore his own tastes in clothing, toys, and activities.

Desmond's love of dressing up didn't falter, and his first big break in drag came in 2014 when he was featured in the music video for Jinkx Monsoon's The Bacon Shake, alongside his hero RuPaul and B-52 lead singer Fred Schneider. 

In June 2015, he took part in Gay Pride in NYC, wearing a rainbow tutu and gold beret and his appearance went viral.  

Fan club: His appearance at Pride in 2015 went viral and his mom's friends set up a Facebook fan page named Desmond is Amazing for all his fans to get in touch 

Fan club: His appearance at Pride in 2015 went viral and his mom's friends set up a Facebook fan page named Desmond is Amazing for all his fans to get in touch 

Way back: He started dressing up in drag as a six-year-old
Way back: He started dressing up in drag as a six-year-old

Way back: He started dressing up in drag as a six-year-old 

As a result, his mother's friends setup a Facebook fan page dedicated to Desmond's journey. 

Named Desmond is Amazing, the Facebook page gave Desmond the idea to use the same moniker as his stage name.

And although he is only 10, Desmond's 'avant drag' style has evolved to incorporate his biggest inspirations — RuPaul, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring.

The pre-teen also cites 1970s disco, and designers like Comme de Garcons, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Thierry Mulger, and Betsey Johnson as inspirations.

And while he is part of drag culture, he refers to himself as a 'drag kid' rather than a 'drag queen,' explaining that this term should only refer to adults. 

On his website he writes, 'People should be able to dance, sing, or dress in any way. You can express yourself however you want. It doesn't matter if you like jazz or rap, ballet or ballroom, dresses or suits. You can just do you.' 

A fan of dancing — he started taking ballet lessons aged six and currently is the youngest member of the Iconic House of UltraOmn — Desmond is, above all, a natural performer, and hopes to facilitate other young people who share the same interests by providing a safe space at Haus of Amazing.

Goals: Desmond hopes to have his drag club for kids, Haus of Amazing, up and running in 2018 

Goals: Desmond hopes to have his drag club for kids, Haus of Amazing, up and running in 2018 

Fashion fan: Desmond calls his style 'avant drag' and says designers like Comme de Garcons and Alexander McQueen have inspired his looks
Dreams: He hopes to have his own fashion and cosmetics line one day

Fashion fan: Desmond calls his style 'avant drag' and says designers like Comme de Garcons and Alexander McQueen have inspired his looks 

So far, the club has simply been announced on Instagram, andis described as being 'the first and only drag house exclusively for drag kids who are doing AMAZING drag.'

The first announcement came back in October, and bid interested parties to stayed tuned for more information.

This week, the club shared a letter to 'haters,' writing positive messages like, 'Your words do not hurt me — I am secure in who I am,' and 'You will not change me — I will be myself, always.'

Although he is an active member of the LGBTQ community, where he is involved in anti-bullying and suicide prevention (Desmond came out last year), his parents are emphatic that their son is not yet sexually active, and although he is an advocate for LGBTQ rights, he has not 'reached the age where sexual relations are appropriate or discussed explicitly.'

And while his mom Wendylou acknowledges that Desmond is an inspiration to others, she also revealed to Out that her son has been subjected to criticism.

Kids club: The name Desmond is Amazing stuck and the New Yorker is now committed to inspiring other youths and providing a safe space for kids to 'connect' and be themselves

Kids club: The name Desmond is Amazing stuck and the New Yorker is now committed to inspiring other youths and providing a safe space for kids to 'connect' and be themselves

Back off! He recently shared a message for haters on the group's Instagram page

Back off! He recently shared a message for haters on the group's Instagram page

'We get messages from people, like in Colombia, saying, "We're not allowed to be outwardly [in] drag or gay and it means a lot to see somebody that is." So there's a positive aspect to it. 

'But then there's an uglier aspect where we get a lot of haters and things like that. It comes with a territory and I mostly just leave them alone.' 

This is a sentiment shared by Desmond, who said: 'Mind your own business. If you don't like it, don't look at it.'

His ultimate goal is to own his own fashion and cosmetics line but in the meantime, he is committed to getting Haus of Amazing up and running. 

'Stay tuned while we continue to create this positive, encouraging, and safe online community for all drag kids to connect with one another, share photos, videos, etc,' he shared with Instagram fans.

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