Twelve-time GLAMMY Award nominee and reality star from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Mimi Imfurst will be hosting the Western Cup Dance. GayCalgary Magazine chatted with Mimi about her experience on Drag Race, being a celebrity and more! Check it out:

GC: Thank you for taking the time to chat with GayCalgary Magazine. Calgary couldn’t be more excited to be graced with your presence in April for the Western Cup. What can fans and partygoers look forward to seeing? What are some of your favourite things about visiting Canada?

MI: The people. Every time I’ve been to Canada, the hospitality is overwhelming. It feels like home and, seeing as that I lived in Maine for a while growing up, it practically is.

GC: You are a queen with infinite amounts of sass! Where do you channel your personality from? Is Mimi much different from Braden?

MI: Oh, Mimi is very different from Braden. Braden is a lot more quiet. Mimi is loud, politically incorrect. She speaks her mind. A lot of my inspiration comes from folks like Bette Midler, Miss Piggy, Divine, Joan Rivers.

GC: Can you share your experience about opening up about sexuality and becoming Mimi?

MI: How much space do I have? I could write a novel on this but I’ll just say that coming out, for me, was never some sort of internal struggle. Once I realized that I was gay, I was completely okay with it. I never felt shame or confusion over my feelings. I understand also that not everyone had that experience. However, the other people in my life, I’m not sure they were as comfortable with it as I was. It led for some very difficult experiences. I lived on the streets for some time. That being said, I don’t harbour negative towards the people in my life who may have hard a harder time with me being gay than I did. They have to go through their own coming out process as a friend or parent of an LGBT person. Everyone has their own path and experience. I feel lucky for the one that I went on, even though there was a lot of pain and bad experiences after coming out but, in the end, I feel those experiences taught me so much about who I am and the value of being true to yourself.

GC: If you could choose one song as your anthem, what would it be and why?

MI: You’re going to make me pick just one song? Right now my theme song is "21 Guns" by Green Day. It just reflects a lot of my journey at this time in my life.

GC: Let’s talk Drag Race! What are some of your best memories from the show?

MI: Honestly, getting to meet and work with Ru, the other queens, and of course Michelle Visage. Michelle is such an amazing person to have in your life.

GC: How accurate do you think the show’s portrayal of Queens is?

MI: Honestly, it is 50 per cent truth, 50 per cent good editing. There’s a lot of things that don’t happen exactly the way they did, but that doesn’t make for good television. In some ways Drag Race is really wonderful because it elevates this drag queens to superstar status but, at the end of the day, you’ve just watched them jump through all these obscene challenges that have very little to do with what these drag queens do in real life. So it’s exciting after the show is said and done to show people what we really do.

GC: Runway challenges! Is it difficult to be in the spotlight and struttin’ your stuff? You’ve made it look so easy!

MI: Ha! Do I? Drag Race is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, twice. Nothing that anyone says can prepare you for that experience. In the end, it seems like a weird dream.

GC: What did you think of Jinkx’s portrayal of you in the lip-sync challenge?

MI: Oh it was hysterical. I couldn’t figure out why Jinkx was burping the whole time, but she told me that she just had lunch right before they shot that scene and was gassy.

GC: How has life changed since the show?

MI: It’s been insane. I was touring a lot nationally before show, and was opening for Kathy Griffin for audiences of 10,000. But Drag Race is a different kind of fame. It’s been a lot of joy and a lot of struggle as well. I’ve never worked harder. But overall, I’m thankful and blessed.

GC: Your career has you travelling quite a bit! What have been some of the best travel experiences? The worst?

MI: The hard part are the hours, early flights, late shows, running from a gig directly to the airport. The schedule is tight sometimes. I’ve even had to get out of drag once I got on the plane because I didn’t have enough time between the show and the flight. These days I’ve gotten really good at sleeping on planes; I usually end up passed out before we even take off.

GC: What is the most outrageous and over-the-top thing you have ever done?

MI: I once flew cross-country in full drag at the age of 16. My friend and I went by the alter egos Mary Tammy and Tammy Mary. We snuck a small radio on the plane (with cassette tapes) and lip-synced "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". That is, until we were asked to take our seats by the flight crew.

GC: What advice can you offer to those struggling with their sexuality and opening up to their family and friends?

MI: You have to be you – at all costs. Our moments here are so precious and, if you’re not true to yourself, you’re doing a disservice to the gift of life we are all given. Anyone in your life who doesn’t except who you really are isn’t someone you should have in your life anyways. Love yourself and accept those who love you equally. Otherwise, to compromise your truth, is an act of treason on yourself.

GC: Any closing thoughts?

MI: Come see me spin at Western Cup! I’m so excited... let’s party!