Mediaplanet chatted with Kyne Santos, a world-class drag queen known simply as “Kyne” and best known for competing on Canada’s Drag Race, and also a mathematics communicator who’s popular on TikTok, about making waves as both a drag queen and a math queen.
How did you get into drag?
I spent all my high school years playing with makeup on my YouTube channel and playing with clothes from the girls’ section, but the very first time I went on stage as a drag queen was in university in 2017. It was a Halloween show and I dressed up as a pop art zombie and lip-synced to “Turn Me On” by David Guetta and Nicki Minaj.
How did you make the move from drag queen to math queen?
The drag was always a given because I’ve always thought it was more fun to appear online as a clown rather than my regular self. The math videos came about after I started using TikTok at the beginning of the pandemic. I had a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers where I made wig and sewing tutorials, but I wanted to make TikTok videos in a different niche. I started posting math riddles because I wanted to share my love for my favourite subject!
What lesson do you want to share with youth who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)?
Growing up, I used to think I was too gay or too effeminate to be respected as a scientist or mathematician. It’s important to me now to show people that STEM is for everyone. All you need is an enthusiasm for learning.
Follow Kyne on Instagram @onlinekyne
