Drag Sethlas
{{Short description|Spanish drag performer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Drag Sethlas
| image = DragCon2024 @DVSROSS (20) (53871469512).jpg
| caption = Drag Sethlas at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2024
| birth_name = Borja Casillas Toledo
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = University of Las Palmas (BA)
| occupation = Drag performer, dancer, teacher
| television = Drag Race España (season 2)
Drag Race España All Stars (season 1 winner)
}}
Borja Casillas Toledo, known professionally as Drag Sethlas, is a Spanish drag performer from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain, known for competing on season 2 of Drag Race España (2022) and winning season 1 of Drag Race España All Stars (2024),{{Cite web |date=2022-05-13 |title=Exclusive: Drag Sethlas says she was 'judged differently' on Drag Race España |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/originals/exclusive-drag-sethlas-says-she-was-judged-differently-on-drag-race-espana/ |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Gay Times |language=en-GB}} as well as winning the Drag Queen Gala at the Carnival of Las Palmas, both in 2017 and 2020, respectively.{{Cite web |date=29 February 2020 |title=Drag Sethlas asegura que ha contado un cuento bíblico con toda su "esencia" |url=https://diariodeavisos.elespanol.com/2020/02/drag-sethlas-asegura-que-ha-contado-un-cuento-biblico-con-toda-su-esencia/ |website=Diarios de Avisos}}
Early life and education
Borja Casillas Toledo attended the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where he received a degree in Early Childhood Education. He has been a dancer since a very young age.{{Cite web |date=2017-03-05 |title=Así es Borja Casillas, el profesor de religión que conmocionó con su actuación de 'drag queen' |url=https://www.elespanol.com/corazon/famosos/20170304/198230272_0.html |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=El Español |language=es}}
Career
In 2017, Sethlas won the nineteenth Drag Queen Gala of the Carnival of Las Palmas de Canaria, with the concept ¡Mi cielo! Yo no hago milagros. Que sea lo que Dios quiera. (Darlings! I don't make miracles. Whatever God wills, will be), designed by Nelson Rodríguez.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=2017 - Drag Sethlas, Borja Casillas |url=https://lpacarnaval.com/es/drag-queens/946-2016-drag-grimassira-maeva-2 |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=lpacarnaval.com |language=es-es}} In 2020, he returned to win the twenty-third edition of said gala.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-29 |title=Sethlas gana la gala Drag Queen de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/canarias/20200229/473841282331/sethlas-gana-gala-drag-queen-palmas-gran-canaria.html |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=La Vanguardia |language=es-es}} In 2022, he participated in the second iteration of Drag Race España, where he ultimately placed 6th.{{Cite web |last=Beltrán |first=Carlos |date=2022-02-20 |title=Drag Sethlas, en Drag Race España |url=https://www.laprovincia.es/cultura/2022/02/20/drag-sethlas-drag-race-espana-62965197.html |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=La Provincia - Diario de Las Palmas |language=es}}
In 2017, Sethlas was sued by the Association of Christian Attorneys (ACA) for using religious symbols in his performance at the Carnival of Las Palmas Drag Queen Gala. Furthermore, the video of Sethlas' performance was removed from the RTVE web page because it "might harm people's sensibilities." The president of the Island Council of Tenerife, Carlos Alonso, branded the performance as "offensive," adding that "in the Drag Queen Gala of the Carnival of Las Palmas, in that headlining moment, there was no Carnival nor freedom, only offense."{{Cite web |title=Carlos Alonso ve una "ofensa" el espectáculo ganador de la gala 'drag' de Las Palmas - El Día - Hemeroteca 28-02-2017 |url=https://www.eldia.es/carnaval/2017-02-28/2-Carlos-Alonso-ve-ofensa-espectaculo-ganador-gala-drag-Palmas.htm |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=eldia.es |language=en}} Monsignor Francisco Cases Andreu, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Canarias (Las Palmas Province), compared the drag queen's performance with the Spainair Flight 5022 accident, affirming that the former was making him "live the saddest day" of his stay in the Canary Islands. As a result of these declarations, the bishop had to ask forgiveness from the victims' families.{{Cite web |date=2017-03-01 |title=El obispo de Canarias asegura que lamenta más la gala Drag del Carnaval de Las Palmas que el accidente de Spanair |url=https://www.elmundo.es/f5/descubre/2017/03/01/58b6a418e2704e877f8b45da.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=ELMUNDO |language=es}} The president of the Islamic Federation of the Canary Islands, Tijani El Bouji, also spoke out against the performance, which he called "blasphemous."{{Cite web |date=2017-03-02 |title=La Federación Islámica apunta: "Los musulmanes no aguantarían un ataque como el de Drag Sethlas" |url=https://www.abc.es/espana/canarias/abci-federacion-islamica-apunta-musulmanes-no-aguantarian-ataque-como-drag-sethlas-201703021425_noticia.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=abc |language=es}}
Borja Casillas faced two lawsuits accusing him of wounding religious sensibilities,{{Cite web |last=Rodríguez |first=Desireé |date=2017-09-12 |title=Drag Sethlas se enfrenta a una pena de cárcel |url=https://cadenaser.com/emisora/2017/09/12/ser_las_palmas/1505220151_159081.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Cadena SER |language=es}} one of which was dismissed by grand jury number 8 of Las Palmas, given that "a party like the Carnival allows us to rule out a deliberate intent to offend".{{Cite web |last=20minutos |date=2017-12-19 |title=Archivan la querella contra Drag Sethlas por disfrazarse de virgen en el Carnaval de Gran Canaria |url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/3216485/0/archivada-querella-contra-drag-sethlas-por-su-espectaculo-carnaval-palmas-gran-canaria/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias |language=es}} Afterwards, the ACA requested an appeal of the dismissal, which was admitted for processing. Finally, the case was definitively archived upon finding that there was no offense to religious sentiments because the party is traditionally about being transgressive. The ACA was forced to pay the costs of the trial.{{Cite web |last=Ahora |first=Canarias |date=2018-07-30 |title=Archivada definitivamente la denuncia contra Drag Sethlas y condenada a las costas la Asociación de Abogados Cristianos |url=https://www.eldiario.es/canariasahora/tribunales/archivada-sethlas-asociacion-abogados-cristianos_1_1999669.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=elDiario.es |language=es}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Contest !Allegory !Place |
| 2016
| rowspan="3" |Drag Queen Gala of the Carnival of Las Palmas de Canaria |El tamaño si importa (Size does matter) |First runner-up |
| 2017
|¡Mi cielo! Yo no hago milagros. Que sea lo que Dios quiera. (Darlings! I don't make miracles. Whatever God wills, will be) | rowspan="" |Winner |
| 2020
|Si la tentación es hermosa, imagínate el pecado (If temptation is beautiful, imagine sin) | rowspan="" |Winner |
| 2022
|Drag Race España (Season 2) | - |
| 2024
|Drag Race España All Stars (Season 1) | - |Winner |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Drag Sethlas}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gu8HQvWH4w Drag Setlas' 2020 performance at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Drag Queen Gala]
- [https://www.cronicasdelanzarote.es/media/cronicasdelanzarote/files/2018/07/30/auto_archivo_drag_sethlas.pdf Dismissal of the complaint against Drag Sethlas (Spanish)]
{{Drag Race España}}
Category:Drag Race España contestants
Category:University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria alumni
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)