Skylord Phoenix
Who Are You?
Hi my name is Alex and I’m a 19 year old creative writing university student at the University of Portsmouth UK. At the moment I identify as non-binary when it comes to gender but physically my sex is female.
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
I started doing FTM Cosplay in college when my best friend at the time introduced me to cosplaying, the whole idea of making yourself look male was alien to me as I just assumed women wore girls costumes and men wore boys costumes. I started purely out of interest and I’m glad I was interested as it shaped who I am today and has helped me realise who I’ve always been.
Do you have a favourite character? (Why is he your favourite?)
My favourite character to cosplay is a niche reference linked to a group of YouTubers called the Yogscast, the particular character being Xephos. He’s my favourite as to me he feels the most natural, like that’s how I’m meant to look, he’s also the character that made me realise I wasn’t 100% female as I felt so me with the full beard and short spiky hair.
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
I feel that MTF cosplayers are favoured over FTM’s because they’re the ones that are so unusual, the ones that get the most attention unfortunately most of it being negative. Girls can wear boys clothes without much criticism, society simply assumes their a tomboy and move along yet when it comes to boys in dresses that’s where society starts to freak out. FTM cosplayers aren’t as shocking as MTF’s so that’s why I think they get less coverage.
What would you like the world to know?
In regards to FTM Cosplaying I would want the world to know that it’s perfectly normal. Although I haven’t gotten as much hate as my MTF friends I have had times where I’m look down on as weird, but I’m not, I’m simply a normal student who likes to express their feelings through art like any other human being.
Dannii Cohen is a stand-up comedian (drag name Divine Varod) and comedy writer turned author, psychologist, professional counselor, life coach and self-help expert. Specialized in LGBT issues, anxiety, empowerment, children's issues and bullying.
Published works include children's books about childhood depression and the importance of being yourself (When Clouds Hide The Sun and Christopher the Lonely Bear) and an easy to use self help manual 50 Things To Know To Have A Better Life: Self-Improvement Made Easy.
https://drdannii.com/
https://divinevarod.com/
https://www.instagram.com/retro_king_and_queen/