Gia Gunn is the stage name of the fabulous Japanese-American drag performer Gia Keitaro Ichikawa, an international performance artist known for her iconic catch phrases and unforgettable personality. She shot to fame after making her debut on the reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race. Ichikawa started taking hormones in 2016, and in 2017 publicly came out as a transgender woman. Since then she has been using her platform to educate others about trans-related issues, as well as to spread messages of acceptance and self-love to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Born and raised in Chicago, Gunn always had an interest in the stage, and began performing Japanese traditional dance and kabuki in Onnagata or oyama roles (male actors who play female roles in Japanese kabuki theatre) from the age of five. Her drag career took off when, as a young adult, she won the drag pageants Miss Roscoe’s 2013 and Miss Diosa 2013. Gunn was then announced as one of fourteen contestants for the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2014. She released her first solo single, Bring out the Gunnz, soon after. In 2017, she was announced as a contestant on the second season of The Switch, Chile’s version of Drag Race, of which she was the eventual runner-up. Her second single, #LaChinaMasLatina, was released in 2018. The same year, Gunn released 30 Days in Transition on her YouTube channel, a video which documented aspects of her transition as a transgender woman. She also went on to star in the first episode Follow Me, a documentary about her life as a trans person and drag queen. She also appeared in 2018’s RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars.

Gunn regularly connects with her legions of dedicated followers and fans through Instagram and Facebook, posting pictures and videos of her glittering life. She is also available for that personalised shout-out via the Cameo platform. She has a YouTube channel, Gia Gunn Entertainment, as well as an official website, giagunnonline.com.