Deaf Gay Drag Queens Come to Edinburgh

Cheeky charm and outrageous wit come together at this year’s Edinburgh Deaf Festival when drag queens Mary and Danielle take to the stage this weekend as part of the Edinburgh Deaf Festival.

And their appearances (on Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will represent a passing of the baton as Mary (Gerard Maguire) is a veteran performer who will soon be 65 and has been helping tutor Danielle (Danny Lee) who is 18.

The festival, which runs in parallel and collaboration with the Fringe, is organised by Deaf Action. It runs from 8-17 August and has a vibrant programme of more than 70 shows and events embracing everything from drama to comedy, music and magic.

Several local cafes are offering a deaf friendly service during the festival in what Deaf Action is developing into a Signing Quarter in the Broughton Street neighbourhood.

Deaffy Drag Queeny: Glitter, Gags and GSV will see Mary and Danielle bring oodles of X-rated humour and deaf gay Pride to the 10-day event throughout the weekend, with performances tonight, Saturday and Sunday.

Their act will include lots of use of GSV (gay sign variant) - a variety of British Sign Language, which is renowned for being highly visual, expressive and flamboyant, which flourished in the deaf gay community in the late 20th century.

Mary discovered a love for female clothes when cast as the Virgin Mary in a school nativity play at his Catholic boys’ school in Ireland.

He later moved to London where his career in drag kickstarted at the Brother and Sister Club, which was a hub for deaf gay culture.

Mary said: “I’m so looking forward to being part of the festival. Deaf gay Pride is something that should be celebrated and we will be doing that to the full. 

“We’re not revealing what happens in the show – because that would spoil the surprise. But there will be lots of gags, lots of humour, some dancing and … it’ll be X-rated.”

With most of the UK’s deaf drag queens being from Mary’s generation, Danielle’s arrival on the scene has been warmly welcomed and hopes are high that he will become a standard-bearer for the tradition, and for GSV which is now in decline.

Danny’s discovery of drag came when he first watch RuPaul’s Drag Race on TV – something he found a liberation.

He said: “I was in Year 9 when I saw t. It had a massive impact on me. I was like ‘drag, what's this?’. 

“It helped me figure out my sexuality, I grew in confidence. And then a few years later, I was watching RuPaul again and I felt like I could relate, empathise, and that just made me fall in love with drag.

“This will be my first professional appearance, so it’s a great opportunity for me.

“I would really like to go on and do much more. My dream would be to be the first deaf gay drag queen on RuPaul, and to represent the BSL community there.”

Deaf drag acts have their own particular character. The big, chunky jewellery often worn by hearing drag queens inhibits signing so isn’t used, also there isn’t the emphasis on music.

Nadia Nadarajah, the festival’s Creative Programmer, said: “We’d love to have hearing audiences as well as deaf ones – it’s a chance to experience drag in a way you have never seen it before.

“For deaf culture it’s also important. This is a way we can help ensure that a great and fun form of entertainment is successfully passed on to a new generation to perform and enjoy.”

Mary and Danielle were speaking at Hopetown Coffee, where staff have had deaf awareness training and which is part of the Signing Quarter project, where they dropped in between rehearsals.

Hopetown Coffee, based on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street, is a café run by national mental health charity Change Mental Health, an organisation delivering non-clinical and person-centred support to communities across Scotland. 100% of proceeds at Hopetown Coffee go towards providing more mental health support in Scotland.

Jonny Cobbold, Director of Strategic Projects, Development and Growth at Change Mental Health, said: “We’re delighted to be involved with the Signing Quarter project and having Hopetown Coffee as one of the deaf friendly cafes in Edinburgh during the Fringe and beyond.

“With staff receiving deaf awareness training, it ensures that Hopetown continues to offer an accessible and inclusive space where people can have great coffee in the centre of Edinburgh.”

Other 2025 programme highlights include:

John Smith Show’s 20 Years of Laughter: Celebrate two decades of sharp wit and non-stop laughter with one of the UK’s best-known deaf comedians.

Ivory Cutlery by Evie Wadell: Let your imagination run wild with Evie Waddell as she presents a visual and musical storytelling experience inspired by the magnificently eccentric Scottish poet and singer Ivor Cutler.

Gavin Lilley: Signs of the Times: A hugely popular deaf comedian who bridges the gap with hearing audiences with his fresh take on everything from parenthood to travel misadventures.

Magic Morgan and Liliana: A family-friendly show packed with illusions, comedy and mime.

Scratch Night: An evening of bold new ideas from comedy to experimental acts – raw creativity which may be the next big thing.

There will be comedy and drama workshops, guided tours of The Georgian House, the Royal Botanic Garden and National Galleries Scotland.

A festival Youth Club for deaf young people aged 10-18 will run from 8-10 August and there will be a parent and toddler group.

The festival, which runs in collaboration with the Fringe, is also working with Summerhall, the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival to provide a range of accessible events.

An interpreter and captioning request service will allow deaf people to arrange an interpreter or captioner for Fringe shows that are not accessible.

Get Broadway News on WhatsApp

Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.