Long before drag became a staple of pop culture, Michelle Ross made her indelible mark as a powerhouse, dominating and defining the Black queer drag scene in Toronto and beyond. To her community, she was a dazzling trailblazer; to her family, she was Earl Barrington Shaw, or simply “Barry.” It wasn’t until Michelle’s sudden death in 2021 that her family claims to have discovered the hidden life and legacy she had built. Told through intimate interviews, archival footage, the film explores the emotional architecture of a person who lived between worlds.

Michelle had a solid and storied career, starting when back in 1974 when drag was still very much underground. She performed in drag for the first time at Toronto’s Club Manatee in 1974, to Dionne Warwick‘s “Anyone Who Had a Heart“. She later became a regular performer at various bars in the Church / Wellesley gay village, and was a frequent performer at Pride Toronto’s Blockorama parties.

Throughout her career, she was known for performing to the music of disco and soul music divas such as Patti LaBelle,Gloria Gaynorand Gladys Knight, but was most famous for her performances of Diana Ross songs, hence her drag name. As of 2018, it was estimated that she had performed on stage at least 15,000 times. 

She once expressed her drag philosophy about the difference between men and women as “Both sides are equally part of the glamour. I see them as stories that are ready for a makeover.”Her signature move was to remove her wig at the end of her set, to call attention to drag as a performance.

She also performed internationally, including a six-year stint as part of the cast of a touring production of La Cage aux Folles, and had a small acting role in the 1977 film Outrageous!, as well as the 2014 film Seek, and also appeared in the documentary films Divas: Love Me Forever and Our Dance of Revolution.

In the third season of the drag competition series Canada’s Drag Race, competitor Jada Shada Hudson paid tribute to Ross as a trailblazer and inspiration, both in a mid-season workroom discussion about community icons and in her runway speech in the season finale.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

The documentary does a great job at giving proper respect to both Michelle, and Earl. As with anyone who’s death is so sudden and unexpected, there’s bound to be some sort of uncovered past that gets exposed. In Michelle’s case, it was her whole public career identity that her family was unaware of, and to some aspect, her unspoken sexual identity. To put this in perspective, many of her generation were in the same situation where it was more a “don’t ask, don’t tell” scenario with unaccepting family. While she was still loved by her family, she felt she couldn’t be fully truthful with them. The documentary includes plenty of commentary from family members, including Earl’s two brothers, nephew, niece, and ex-sister-in-law.

In terms of her Michelle Ross persona, she was larger than life, and loved by everyone she came in contact with. There’s conversations with many of her friends and fellow performers from within the community, including Mahogany, Amanda Roberts, Sherry Sylvain, Jeanette Dupree, Bryan Greenwood, her longtime manager Krys Cee, and DJ Blackcat, who helped coordinate Michelle’s last performance. As with the rest of the world, Michelle was locked down and alone during COVID, and at one point DJ Blackcat suggested she do an online performance for her fans. She agreed, not knowing it would be her final swan song.

During her lifetime she had to contend with racism within the LGBTQ+ community, and homophobia within her family circle. It had to have taken a toll internally, but on the outside she retained her smiling, vibrant personality. After her passing, both her family and the queer community coordinated a collection of Michelle’s memorabilia and donated several items to the ArQuives in Toronto, the largest independent LGBTQ2+ Archives in the world. This will help preserve her legacy for years to come, so that she won’t be forgotten for the barriers she broke and the love she expressed. RIP Michelle Ross

Ross remained a beloved fixture in Toronto, lighting up Church Street with her presence until her death on March 27, 2021. Following the announcement of her death, tribute poured in from various influential figures, including Toronto mayor John Tory, along with many drag performers, and local LGBTQ+ organizations. Today, her legacy continues to echo through the generations of queens she inspired, across Toronto’s queer and Black communities, and well beyond.

Michelle Ross: Unknown Icon premieres Wednesday, October 8 on CBC TV at 9 p.m. as part of The Passionate Eye season, directed by Alison Duke. It’s also available to stream online at CBC Gem anytime.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.