With his long flowing blonde wig, 17-inch high heels and love of a good frock, Kyle Andrews stands out from the rest of the Clermont locals in central Queensland.
And that is the way he likes it. Kyle is a 16-year-old drag queen who is proud to call this small mining town 1,000km north west of Brisbane, population 2,117, his home.
But that doesn’t mean growing up in Clermont, a conservative country town known for its burly coal miners, has always been easy.
‘I’ve been sexually harassed and had all different things done to me,’ he told FEMAIL.
‘I’ve had my property vandalised and when I was with my last partner he had his car windows smashed for being gay.’
Kyle Andrews, 16, is an out-and-proud drag queen from a small country town in Queensland
With his long flowing blonde wig, 17-inch high heels and love of a good frock, Kyle stands out from the rest of the Clermont locals
‘I’ve been sexually harassed and had all different things done to me,’ he told FEMAIL
The 16-year-old said he is entirely comfortable with his sexuality and his gender, but enjoys dressing in drag.
Unfortunately this isn’t something everyone in his life understands.
This includes his parents, who are accepting of his sexuality, but they don’t approve of the fact that he likes to dress up.
‘My dad doesn’t support drag and mum’s fine with the makeup part but she doesn’t like the women’s clothes part,’ Kyle said.
‘But they both know that this is really important to me so they let me do my thing.’
The 16-year-old said he is entirely comfortable with his sexuality and his gender, but enjoys dressing in drag
‘My dad doesn’t support drag and mum’s fine with the makeup part but she doesn’t like the women’s clothes part,’ Kyle said
Clermont was the first inland settlement in central Queensland and there are many historical remnants of the town’s glory days of gold rushes, copper mines, shearers and stockmen.
I took it straight to heart back then but now that I’m older and I’m used to it, I’m able to respond better
In recent years, coal mining has brought prosperity to the town but the attitude of the people is still one of tough and rugged individualism.
Kyle has learnt the hard way there are people in the world who aren’t accepting of who he is, although he tries not to let it affect him.
When he first ‘came out’, Kyle said he used to retaliate when somebody from school said or did something negative.
‘I took it straight to heart back then but now that I’m older and I’m used to it, I’m able to respond better. I can laugh and chuck away the negativity but school was pretty cr**py,’ he said.
Clermont is a small mining town 1000km north west of Brisbane, population 2,117
In recent years, coal mining has brought prosperity to Clermont but the attitude of the people is still one of tough and rugged individualism
Clermont was the first inland settlement in central Queensland and there are many historical remnants of the town’s glory days
Kyle said it was the bullying that led him to leave high school halfway through year 11 and follow his love of make up at a local academy, where he is a trainee make-up artist.
While he isn’t the only person that identifies as gay in his town (there are six or seven others he can think of), they’re not as vocal.
‘The other gay people just keep to themselves because it’s unsafe to fully express who you are,’ he said.
‘I always think about how unsafe it might be. The first time I went out in drag I was on edge the whole time and even now, two years down the line, you still have the thought at the back of your head.’
Weirdly, Kyle said he had even received a hate message from a fellow gay person in Clermont, who wanted to remind him that he wasn’t ‘the only gay in this town’.
Kyle has learnt the hard way there are people in the world who aren’t accepting of who he is
Kyle said it was the bullying that led him to leave high school halfway through year 11 and follow his love of make up
While he isn’t the only person that identifies as gay in his town (there are six or seven others he can think of), they’re not as vocal
When I was growing up a lot of people were negative about gay people and I used to have those views too
Growing up, Kyle said he just needed someone he could look to and show him that he should love and accept ‘who he is’.
Kyle explained that the reason he expresses himself so vocally is because he wants people to know that he isn’t ashamed to be himself.
Being openly gay and dressing in drag in such a small settlement has meant the 16-year-old had to grow up fast.
And while he comes across as tough teenager, there are definitely days when Kyle admits to struggling.
‘Living in a small country town has changed everything. When I was growing up a lot of people were negative about gay people and I used to have those views too,’ he explained.
Growing up, Kyle said he just needed someone he could look to and show him that he should love and accept ‘who he is’
Kyle explained that the reason he expresses himself so vocally is because he wants people to know that he isn’t ashamed to be himself
‘It wasn’t until I found out what being gay meant and that I have these feelings I realised I didn’t have to go with what everyone else is doing,’ Kyle continued.
‘There isn’t a day you wake up and realise you’re gay, you just realise you’re different and put two and two together.’
The confident teenager said that he will often go to the shops in full drag and has a few outfits in his arsenal.
He includes fake eyelashes, heels and ‘lots of padding’ to help create a more womanly figure.
‘The first time I went out in drag I was on edge the whole time and even now, two years down the line, you still have the thought at the back of your head,’ he said
Although he used to have long hair to help complete the look he has since cut it off and bought a new front laced wig.
When I walk through the streets like this I get a few stares and cat calls but I get compliments as well
‘I have a couple of outfits I wear, the look I go for is more of an emo lesbian biker,’ he said.
He also owns a pair of 17-inch heels, and even if he isn’t wearing makeup, he’ll wear them as he prefers them over flats because of how it makes his legs look.
‘When I walk through the streets like this I get a few stares and cat calls but I get compliments as well,’ he said.
‘It’s a range of different responses but it doesn’t matter as long as you hold your head high.’
‘I have a couple of outfits I wear, the look I go for is more of an emo lesbian biker,’ he said
Kyle enjoys working with makeup and dressing up in drag because it lets him escape.
He explained that although he loves the ‘boy side’ of him and is comfortable with who he is, he dresses as drag for fun.
‘I also do it to entertain, and it can be beautiful. It’s an art to me,’ he said.
Kyle started experimenting with makeup at 13 when he picked up an old ‘crusty’ eye shadow palette of his mothers.
Kyle enjoys working with makeup and dressing up in drag because it lets him escape
Kyle started experimenting with makeup at 13 when he picked up an old ‘crusty’ eye shadow palette of his mothers
He had been watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race, a show he had become ‘obsessed’ with and inspired him to give makeup a shot.
‘It was terrible but I gave it a few more goes to try and improve and now I’m studying makeup,’ he said.
‘Before I leave the house I always put some makeup on because I love the way it looks.
‘I go all out or don’t do it all. I like to be glam and I like attention-grabbing makeup. The most natural you’ll see me do is a black smokey eye.’
Kyle explained that one of the reasons he wants to share his own story is to help support other people who may be facing similar circumstances.
‘After being featured in a few stories I’ve had people reach out telling me that I’ve helped them,’ he said.
‘All I wanted was to help at least one person and now I know that I’ve helped and inspired so many by being so vocal.
‘Now I’m the person I needed when I was younger.’