While the drag culture has been around for centuries now, we’ve witnessed it reach immense popularity in the country in recent years, as evidenced by the success of local reality drag shows, such as Drag Race Philippines. And among its notable alumni are Khianna and Hana Beshie, who graced the latest episode of ABS-CBN Studios’ Bisaya talk show, “Kuan On One.”

Aside from taking pride in their gender identity, the two queens from Cagayan de Oro also put their Bisaya roots on full display as they enthusiastically talked about their childhood, their journeys to fully embracing who they are and to becoming drag queens, and their memorable and wonderful experiences as part of the continuously growing drag community.

Hana Beshie and Khianna before becoming drag queens

Their lighthearted conversation with host Kuantie Melai Cantiveros about their journeys on becoming the queens of their lives commenced with a hilarious look back on their younger years. Many members of the LGBTQIA+ community could surely relate to the story of Hana Beshie, who had to initially hide their ‘gayness’ because of their fear of being disowned or reproached by their conservative parents.

Growing up with a father who served as a soldier and a mother who was domineering and strict, she was compelled to deny her true identity over and over again until she couldn’t do it anymore since she got into a relationship when she was in her third year of college. She did her confession by penning a letter to her mother, which resulted in her not speaking with her for a month until she was able to completely accept her.

As she anticipated that her parents would be mad at her, Hana Beshie decided to find a job to earn money, and that’s how her career as a drag performer started, unbeknownst to her family. She would secretly make her costumes inside her bedroom and borrow the lipstick and eyeliner of her mother. From that little guy who used to aspire to become a priest—as she even became a sacristan at some point—and a teacher, she discovered her passion for performing.

“Hindi ako nag-expect na gusto ko pala maging drag queen. Habang tumatanda, doon ko na-discover kung ano ang drag queen, kung ano ang drag, at kung paano mag-perform. Doon ko nasabi na ‘yon ang gusto ko,” she said in Bisaya.

Then she joined Drag Race Philippines by telling her mom that it’s a reality show similar to “Pinoy Big Brother” and was seemingly scared that she might reprimand or stop her. But she turned out supportive and proud as she watched every episode and made the effort of knowing more about drag with the help of her siblings, who explained it to their mom. Her Mama even assumed that it was she who would be invited to do the “Makeover Challenge” with her.

“Noong lumabas ako sa Drag Race, ang cute dahil pinanood talaga nila. Inaral nila kung ano ang mga drag queens at kung ano ang drag race. Kaya pag-uwi ko sa amin, hindi ko na kinailangan pang mag-explain kasi alam na nila. Ang mga kapatid ko ang nag-explain sa kanila. Ang cute ng Mama ko dahil proud siya,” Hana Beshie related.

Her Papa, meanwhile, only found out about her gender later, yet he never castigated her. Instead, he told her after her Drag Race Philippines stint that she looked like her grandma, as well that he actually enjoyed watching her and her fellow contestants on the show.

While Hana Beshie had only embraced her true self completely when she was already a grown-up, Khianna has been gay and a drag queen ever since she was born. It all started when her mother assumed that she was a girl when she was still pregnant with her, so she bought feminine outfits for her—only to find out that her firstborn is a boy. However, instead of setting those aside, her Mama just had her wear girl clothes and even made dresses for her when she was around 1 to 3 years old.

Although her mom enjoyed turning her into a girl, her Papa highly objected to it. Thus, there was an instance when he accosted her. She pretended that she was masculine whenever he was around as her way of showing respect to him. But as time went by, his father learned to accept her, which he showed by expressing how proud he was of her upon seeing her in an episode of “It’s Showtime”—his first time ever to find out that she’s actually a drag queen.

Prior to joining two separate seasons of Drag Race Philippines, Khianna and Hana Beshie initially crossed paths in their hometown of Cagayan de Oro during a drag event, in which Hana was among the organizers while Khianna was among the contestants and the eventual winner. Inspired by Drag Race USA, Hana and a gay best friend of hers came up with the idea of bringing it to their city by holding pageants for gays. With the support of Hana’s boyfriend, they later on got to perform in restobars and had successful shows, which led them to eventually having a home bar with the help of a friend who adopted her, Khianna, and their other fellow drag performers there.

While drag has been around for a very long time now, many of us are, perhaps, still unaware of what its real essence is or what it is all about. Hana Beshie and Khianna imparted that “drag” could be an acronym for “dress like a girl,” since performers dress up as females. But from simply creating an illusion that they are women through wearing makeup and fabulous outfits, drag has evolved into a type of performance art that basically aims to entertain people and for the performers to fully express themselves.

When asked to compare the drag scene here in Metro Manila to what they have in Cagayan de Oro City, the two related that apart from the fact that the humor is different, their resources there are also very limited. Thus, they’re compelled to be resourceful and be creative on their own, from designing and creating their own outfits to having photographers, makeup artists, and digital artists within their circle.

Although they’ve already gained a variety of audiences, it’s definitely their parents who are their most beloved spectators. As others might expect them to feel even a bit of shame performing in front of them, Khianna revealed that she’s actually confident.

Hana Beshie seconded it by saying, “Cute siya sa feeling dahil dati nahihiya ka, tapos ngayon ay nasha-share mo na ang mundo mo sa iyong mga magulang. Napapanood nila kung ano ang ginagawa ng mga anak nila. Nafe-feel ko na proud ang Mama ko sa akin.”

Apart from their edgy appearances and striking performances, another thing that drag queens are famous for is their unique and catchy stage names. Khianna revealed that hers was actually the nickname given to her when she was still a kid, which was derived from her biological name “Kent.” But during her pageant days, she used to introduce herself as “Rhian Morgan” and “Luzviminda,” until she was advised by a friend to stick to “Khianna”.

On the other hand, Hana Beshie initially called herself “Ash Gray” before switching to her current stage name, which was taken from a famous local brand of appliances.

When quizzed by Kuantie Melai how they’re able to help their respective families through drag, Hana Beshie disclosed that her parents actually never obliged her to help with their finances, as her Mama would even berate her whenever she tried to contribute. Thus, she would just simply give them presents to show her appreciation to them. Khianna, meanwhile, provides support to her mom and siblings by sending money to them twice a month.

Kuantie Melai then asked the two of them for their messages to their respective parents. Khianna thanked her Mama for being so supportive of her ever since, as she even joined her in the “Twinning Challenge” of Drag Race Philippines. She then told her Papa how much she misses him and hopes to be reunited with him soon.

After imparting that her Mama would even call their other neighbors to watch her show appearances, Hana Beshie then told her parents, “Kung makakapili ako ng mga magulang, kayo pa rin ang pipiliin ko. Ang ganda ng pagpapalaki n’yo sa akin. Hindi ako magiging ganito kung hindi dahil sa inyo.”

Of course, an episode of “Kuan On One” wouldn’t be complete without the “Dakong Problema” segment, wherein Hana Beshie and Khianna got to exhibit their comedic and acting chops via their acting challenge with the host. They had to make one another guess the celebrity each of them picked only through actions or uttering their famous lines, then come up with a skit in which the characters were their chosen personalities.

Before moving on to the final part of the program, Kuantie Melai asked them regarding their ultimate goal for the drag community. Both of them wished for the “BisDrag” community in their hometown to further thrive and prosper and for the other queens to continue what they started.

“Sa mga baklang nagpaiwan sa CDO, sana hindi kayo mawalan ng pag-asa at sana hindi rin kayo magsawa. Pangarap lang natin dati na magkaroon ng drag scene sa atin. Ngayon na meron na, sana ipagpatuloy ninyo ito,” Hana Beshie conveyed.

For her “Ultimate Yawyaw,” Hana Beshie shared that her journey as a drag queen and of being a trailblazer of the drag scene in her hometown has taught her that dreams will remain dreams if you don’t act upon them. Besides, everything that is meant for you will not miss you.

“Ang mga pangarap mo ay hanggang pangarap lang kung wala kang gagawin. Kung para sa’yo ang isang bagay, para sa’yo talaga siya. May dahilan ang lahat. Maghintay ka lang dahil may dadating na mas makakabuti para sa’yo,” she said.

Meanwhile, Khianna learned from her mother growing up to never give up even though life gets tough.

And lastly, when it comes to their favorite Bisaya word, Khianna mentioned “tsada”, which means “nice,” while it’s “pangandoy” or “strong desire” for Hana Beshie.”