CHULA VISTA You might assume that someone named Aang Xiety would experience stress from a busy Pride season.The upcoming drag performer created concerts on both sides of the border, rode on a float in the Tijuana Pride Parade last month, and will co-host a show in San Diego this month with a Comic-Con theme.
However, the numerous activities provided a happy diversion from the 32-year-old performer’s cancer treatment.
The shows were Aang’s first appearance on stage since a fast-growing 11-inch tumor and one-third of a lung were excised in May. Even though breathing is still difficult, Aang believes that it is worth it to be able to serve looks onstage again.
My relatives, whom I know, say, “Don’t waste your energy.” However, Aang stated that only I am aware of how happy it makes me feel.
Although Aang, whose true name is Eduardo, uses all pronouns freely, he advised using solely he/him/his for clarity in this article since he did not want to be completely recognized because certain members of his family are unaware of his LGBTQ+ identification. Aang does not have to be a king or queen onstage; instead, he prefers to act as a drag monster.
Aang, a longstanding drag enthusiast, claimed that performing only became significant after a first cancer treatment for a malignant tumor in his left knee.
I had found myself
When he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2021, Aang, who was born in Mexico, had been intermittently residing in San Diego for just over a decade. A delay in diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic had contributed to the severe growth of a bone tumor in his knee.
He spent the following year and a half receiving treatment after returning to his tiny village in the Mexican state of Michoacan. In the end, chemotherapy and surgery to shorten his leg were required.
Aang claimed that although the physical suffering was severe, it was not as terrible as the psychological suffering he endured while living with his unsupportive family, far from encouraging friends, and away from the friendly city of San Diego.
I had discovered who I was. He claimed to have tasted the freedom of being here. It was really upsetting to have to return to a position where you kind of have to shrink again.
Despite criticism from his traditional religious family, Aang found solace in watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and other drag programs.
Aang recalls, “I was surprised that despite everything, especially my mom, she just wouldn’t open up.” You’re still saying things like, “Oh, I don’t like that you watch those shows,” even though I’m practically dying. And I said, “Mother, I don’t have eyebrows.”
A unique style
Aang had a fresh perspective on life after his recovery and was resolved to spread happiness. Back in San Diego, gender-bending drag shows evolved from a cosplay pastime. The drag character Aang Xiety first appeared in 2023; the name is a pun on an emotional state and a reference to the main character from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Aang captivates people onstage by changing into a moss-bearded forest monarch or a glittering fairy queen. The performances range from delightfully cheesy to politically confronting.
Rhyse Tamez’s character, San Diego drag king Hans E. Barr, commended Aang’s distinctive style of drag.
I truly like how Aang has been authentically himself from the start, bringing his own vision to the stage and performing from the heart rather than attempting to fit his performances into a RuPaul mold or even what the local scene has to offer, Barr added. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for drag. It can actually appear to be anything.
Aang’s trademark performance involves lip-syncing Colors of the Wind, a song by his favorite Disney princess, Pocahontas, while prancing around like a reindeer with wings. Aang Xiety is always fae, whether she is human or an animal.
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Aang claimed to have considered himself a fairy as a child. A reality where children were bullies and his mother thought ornamental gnomes were devils frequently encroached on a fantasy world with imagined buddies.
According to Aang, his drag identity is an external manifestation of that inner kid who has been given the opportunity to be free.
I am this enchanted being. I feel like I’m giving my child back. He would have liked to play a bit more, but he wasn’t permitted to or would have been judged, so I’m letting him play more,” Aang replied.
A full and fulfilling life
Aang’s life has been busy for the last two years. Speaking both Spanish and English, he has been a well-liked performer in numerous drag events in Tijuana and San Diego. He moved in with his boyfriend, worked at Sunnyboy Biscuit Company in Hillcrest, and volunteered for many hours. He even tried out for a Drag Race Mexico job.
Then, in February, he discovered that the cancer had spread to his lungs.
Aang said, “I was also okay with it when I thought, I’m dying.” I’ve seen life, met my hero, fallen in love, made wonderful friends, and discovered drag.
However, he continued, “I don’t think Aang is ready to go.” Aang is only getting started. Aang needs more time, in my opinion.
There are dreams that have been postponed. The majority of Aang’s concerts were canceled, and TV auditions were suspended.
But he persisted in his advocacy. Speaking about cancer and his worry that each performance would be his last, Aang performed at Barr’s cancer benefit, Lip Sync for a Life, in April.
Additionally, Aang revealed his disability for the first time by using a cane to support his shorter leg and pausing during a number to use an oxygen inhaler.
Regarding his friend’s performance, Barr remarked, “I honestly thought (using the inhaler) was scripted because it was just such an empowering moment, but it wasn’t.” That was simply the right thing for (him) to do.
It was an intrusion that Aang never desired as a fantasy-traded drag artist. But it was too vital to take the stage.
Barr added that after hearing his story, the audience went crazy for it. It had a significant impact and was incredibly empowering. I started crying and got chills.
Days later, doctors drained 6.5 liters of fluid from Aang s lung and discovered the tumor had ballooned from 2 inches to 11 inches in two months.
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Finding a purpose
As health complications from his stage 4 cancer pile up, Aang is still accepting, positive, resilient. He believes everything happens for a reason not in the sense that even the worst situations were ordained, but in that he can find a purpose, even in the darkest times.
Aang’s bond with his family has improved despite these dire conditions. He said he wasn t willing to conceal his true self the way he did the first time he sought their help during treatment.
I wanted to tell them, This is me, he said. I was not willing to do that again. I felt like I was betraying myself, my own essence, by hiding it to (get) help because I had no otherchoice.
Difficult conversations yielded better-than-expected outcomes. Aang told his family about his drag career and that someday, they would see him on TV. He introduced them to his partner and wore the clothes and makeup he loves around them.
It feels great, Aang said, adding that his family now knows who he is and what he s doing. I feel this was the purpose of this second time getting the cancer.
Aang isn t sure what the future holds. He is scheduled for surgery in August to remove a separate tumor from his left lung, and a new scan showed a pinprick of cancer cells have returned to his right lung.
But he intends to fight and perform for as long as he can.
If it s a journey, I m down, he said. But I m, like, let me have fun during it.
