When Desmond was younger, he would dress up using fashion bed sheets and towels by turning them 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 told Out.
At the age of five, he enjoyed playing with toy trains, maps, video games, and Barbies but when he was six, an Elsa from Frozen costume changed everything. 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 sought help from a therapist for advice on what to do.
The therapist advised them that the best course of action was to do absolutely 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.
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 of 2015, he took part in Gay Pride in NYC. He wore a rainbow tutu and gold beret and his appearance went viral.
As a result, his mother’s friends set up a Facebook fan page dedicated to Desmond’s journey.
Desmond is Amazing is the name of the Facebook page, which also gave Desmond the idea to use the same moniker as his stage name.
And although he is just 10, Desmond’s ‘avant drag’ style has evolved to incorporate his biggest inspirations — RuPaul, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring.
He also cites 1970s disco, and designers like Comme de Garcons, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Thierry Mulger, and Betsey Johnson as inspirations.
While he is certainly 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 Desmond 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.’
Desmond is a fan of dancing and 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 youngsters who share the same interests by providing a safe space at Haus of Amazing.
So far, the club has been announced on Instagram, and is described as being ‘the first and only drag house exclusively for drag kids who are doing AMAZING drag.’
The first announcement came in October last year, and bid interested parties to stay tuned for more information.
Recently, 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, 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.’
Even though his mom Wendylou acknowledges that Desmond is an inspiration to others, she also revealed to Out that her son has been subjected to criticism.
‘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.’
Desmond shares this sentiment, he said: ‘Mind your own business. If you don’t like it, don’t look at it.’
Desmond’s 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 on Instagram.