Vegan Hockey Player Wins Montreal Drag Show

Former Canadian hockey player and longtime vegan Georges Laraque was chosen as the winner of a drag queen competition hosted last weekend by LGBTQ organization Montreal Pride. The organization awarded Laraque $1,000 for his winning performance—in which he donned a wedding dress and lip-synced to Whitney Houston’s hit single “I Will Always Love You.” The 270-pound athlete has been vegan since 2009 and is an advocate for animal- and human-rights issues. Laraque, who does not identify as LGBTQ himself, donated his winnings to support Montreal Pride. “There’s many people that still suffer today [from] different types of discrimination just because of their sexual orientation. I think that’s stupid in 2018,” Laraque told media outlet StarMetro. “It’s one thing to say you are supportive, but I’ve always liked to do it in action.” Laraque is the son of Haitian immigrants and revealed that he has struggled with racial discrimination throughout his life. “It’s the same fight. So for me, calling me the ‘N’ word, and not accepting someone as homosexual is the same thing,” Laraque said. “I’ve had to stick up for myself my whole life and now I’m sticking up for others.”