{{Short description|Canadian drag queen}} {{Infobox person | name = Kimora Amour | image = RuPaul DragCon 2022 (52073742715) (cropped).jpg | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = Kimora Amour at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2022 | birth_name = Justin Baird | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per WP:DOB. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. --> | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Drag queen | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Justin Baird''', also known under the stage name '''Kimora Amour''', is a Canadian drag queen, nurse, costume designer, and television personality best known as a competitor in the second season of ''Canada's Drag Race,''<ref name=now>Kevin Ritchie, [https://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-features/canadas-drag-race-kimora-amour-on-carnival-canadian-media-and-that-weird-ass-lip-sync/ "Canada’s Drag Race: Kimora Amour on Carnival, Canadian media and that weird-ass lip sync"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004004549/https://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-features/canadas-drag-race-kimora-amour-on-carnival-canadian-media-and-that-weird-ass-lip-sync |date=2022-10-04 }}. ''Now'', November 27, 2021.</ref> and the ninth season of ''The Amazing Race Canada.''<ref name=":0" />
== Background == Justin Baird, of Guyanese descent, is father to a son, and lives in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario.<ref name=now/> He works as a nurse in a pain management clinic, and has been a costume designer for Caribbean Carnival events such as Caribana.<ref name=now/>
He has been a close friend of fellow ''Canada's Drag Race'' contestant Jermaine Aranha, better known as Anastarzia Anaquway, ever since they first met at a ball.<ref name=now/> Kimora Amour has competed in various drag pageants, winning titles such as Ms. Opulence and Miss Trillium.
==Career== === Kimora Amour === In 2021, Baird was a contestant on the Canada's Drag Race season 2 under the stage name ''Kimora Amour''. On the show, Kimora Amour received special praise for a look she wore during the "Sinner's Ball" episode; given the runway prompt "Ugly as Sin", she chose to portray the ugly horrors of slavery by dressing as an enslaved woman, who eventually breaks her chains and runs toward freedom.<ref>Monique Jones, [https://shadowandact.com/drag-race-contestant-portrays-enslaved-woman-in-powerful-runway-statement-thank-you-kimora "'Drag Race' Contestant Portrays Enslaved Woman In Powerful Runway Statement: 'Thank You Kimora'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130114543/https://shadowandact.com/drag-race-contestant-portrays-enslaved-woman-in-powerful-runway-statement-thank-you-kimora/ |date=2023-01-30 }}. ''Shadow and Act'', November 22, 2021.</ref> For the first time in the history of the entire ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' franchise, the runway was presented with no comedic interjections from the judging panel, and was framed by brief fades to black upon both her entrance to and exit from the stage.<ref name=now/> The look was designed by Baird and Aranha.<ref>Amanda Scriver, [https://www.cbc.ca/arts/what-goes-into-designing-a-runway-look-for-canada-s-drag-race-1.6284449 "What goes into designing a runway look for Canada's Drag Race?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021050649/https://www.cbc.ca/arts/what-goes-into-designing-a-runway-look-for-canada-s-drag-race-1.6284449 |date=2022-10-21 }}. CBC Arts, December 21, 2021.</ref>
After a poor showing in the "Roast of Brooke Lynn Hytes" episode, she was eliminated from the competition after giving a bizarre Lip Sync for Your Life performance; disliking the song and feeling checked out of the competition, she spent most of the lip sync stalking and hovering over opponent Gia Metric like an "annoying bird".<ref>Sabrina Barr, [https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/27/canadas-drag-race-season-2-kimora-amour-disappointed-by-fan-reaction-15676245/ "Canada’s Drag Race season 2: Eliminated queen Kimora Amour ‘disappointed’ by fan response as she hoped to be ‘more well received’"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902233347/https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/27/canadas-drag-race-season-2-kimora-amour-disappointed-by-fan-reaction-15676245/ |date=2022-09-02 }}. ''Metro'', November 27, 2021.</ref> She later attributed her poor performance in the roast episode to the lingering emotional intensity of having done the slavery runway the previous week, which left her struggling to perform at her best in either the main challenge or the lip sync.<ref>Monique Jones, [https://shadowandact.com/canadas-drag-race-kimora-amour-on-her-powerful-runway-discrimination-within-the-fandom-and-more "'Canada's Drag Race': Kimora Amour On Her Powerful Runway, Discrimination Within The Fandom And More"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203083133/https://shadowandact.com/canadas-drag-race-kimora-amour-on-her-powerful-runway-discrimination-within-the-fandom-and-more/ |date=2022-12-03 }}. ''Shadow and Act'', December 9, 2021.</ref>
In 2022, Kimora Amour was a judge on the ''CBX: Canadian Ballroom Extravaganza'' competition web series. In the same year, she raised allegations of racially insensitive behaviour among several ''Drag Race'' queens on Twitter, although the most widely publicized allegation was that first season ''CDR'' competitor and ''Drag Race Belgique'' host Rita Baga had once done a blackface number impersonating actress and singer Amber Riley.<ref>Bernardo Sim, [https://www.out.com/drag/2022/11/07/canadas-drag-race-star-rita-baga-addresses-blackface-accusations "Canada's Drag Race Star Rita Baga Addresses Blackface Accusations"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402023503/https://www.out.com/drag/2022/11/07/canadas-drag-race-star-rita-baga-addresses-blackface-accusations |date=2023-04-02 }}. ''Out'', November 7, 2022.</ref>
In 2023, Kimora Amour was one of the participants, alongside fellow ''CDR'' alumni Icesis Couture and Suki Doll, in Courage Across Canada, a speaking tour in which the ''CDR'' queens spoke to high school students about bullying and homophobia.<ref>Ian Campbell, [https://www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ontario/article/student-presentation-in-sudbury-to-go-ahead-despite-board-opposition/ "Student presentation in Sudbury to go ahead, despite board opposition"] . CTV Northern Ontario, February 2, 2023.</ref>
=== The Amazing Race Canada === Justin Baird and his friend Jermaine Aranha competed as a team on the ninth season of ''The Amazing Race Canada''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/amazing-race-canada-to-feature-smithers-in-newest-season-7256412|title=Amazing Race Canada to feature Smithers in newest season|website=Prince George Citizen|author=Hanna Petersen|date=July 10, 2023|access-date=September 23, 2023|archive-date=July 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712130215/https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/amazing-race-canada-to-feature-smithers-in-newest-season-7256412|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2023/06/21/paralympian-other-advocates-set-to-hit-the-road-for-the-amazing-race-canada.html|title=Paralympian, other advocates set to hit the road for 'The Amazing Race Canada'|website=Toronto Star|date=June 21, 2023|access-date=June 21, 2023|archive-date=September 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924041805/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/paralympian-other-advocates-set-to-hit-the-road-for-the-amazing-race-canada/article_8a41a8df-1957-511d-bcb0-85d978bfd2f6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The team was eliminated in Saguenay, Quebec, becoming the sixth team to be eliminated in the season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://indian-brand.com/amazing-race-elimination|title=Amazing Race Canada Elimination 2023 – Who went home tonight?|website=India-Brand|author=Pankaj Kumar|date=September 6, 2023|access-date=September 23, 2023|archive-date=September 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924041820/https://indian-brand.com/amazing-race-elimination/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/amazing-race-canada-jermaine-aranha-justin-baird-drag-race-205205562.html|title=From 'Canada's Drag Race' to 'Amazing Race Canada': Jermaine Aranha, Justin Baird have no regrets after elimination|website=Yahoo! News|author=Elisabetta Bianchini|date=September 5, 2023|access-date=September 23, 2023|archive-date=September 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924041809/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/amazing-race-canada-jermaine-aranha-justin-baird-drag-race-205205562.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The duo wanted to serve as an inspiration for other LGBTQ people.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/celebrities/2023/06/21/paralympian-other-advocates-set-to-hit-the-road-for-the-amazing-race-canada|title=Paralympian, other advocates set to hit the road for 'The Amazing Race Canada'|website=Winnipeg Free Press|date=June 21, 2023|access-date=September 23, 2023|archive-date=June 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628210129/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/celebrities/2023/06/21/paralympian-other-advocates-set-to-hit-the-road-for-the-amazing-race-canada|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Filmography == ===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |+Television !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |2021 |''Canada's Drag Race'' |Himself |Contestant; season 2 |- |2023 |''The Amazing Race Canada'' |Himself |Contestant; season 9 |}
===Web series=== * ''Bring Back My Girls'' (2022)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Kimora Amour}}
{{Canada's Drag Race}}
Category:Living people Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:Black Canadian LGBTQ people Category:Canada's Drag Race contestants Category:Canadian drag queens Category:Canadian people of Guyanese descent Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Canadian nurses Category:Canadian costume designers Category:The Amazing Race contestants Category:Drag performers from Toronto Category:Ball culture people Category:Black Canadian artists Category:Judges in Canadian reality television series