... one of Ottawa's best known drag queens lies in a hospital bed after emerging from a coma Wednesday, four days after suffering multiple skull fractures and other broken bones in his face following a fight outside the Centretown Pub early Saturday.

According to friends, Michael Marcil, the man behind the larger-than-life personality of Dixie Landers, was found unconscious at the bottom of a flight of stairs at the Somerset Street bar at around 2:15 a.m. Saturday. Police said Mr. Marcil and two other people, a woman and a man, became involved in an altercation on the pub's patio. Both Mr. Marcil and the woman suffered head injuries as a result of the confrontation, police said.

According to police, Mr. Marcil, who was not in drag and had been drinking, returned to the bar shortly after the fight. He was found at the bottom of the stairs a short time later. Police will not say what prompted the initial altercation and no charges have yet been laid. Police do not consider the incident a hate crime.

Doug Muir, who has known Mr. Marcil since hiring him for his first Ottawa engagement in 1998, said doctors have told them Mr. Marcil may have suffered brain damage along with his other injuries. Mr. Muir said many in the gay community are shocked. "He's a drag queen, so sometimes their mouths can sometimes get them into trouble, but nothing that would condone this kind of beating," said Mr. Muir.

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Anyone with information is asked to call police at 613-236-1222, ext. 5166

A man and woman have been charged with assault a month after another man known for his drag queen performances was badly beaten at a downtown Ottawa pub popular with the gay community.

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On Thursday, police announced that they had made two arrests in connection with the incident:
• Andrew Lefebvre, 25, was charged with assault causing bodily harm.
• Sheri-Lee Rand, 29, was charged with assault.

The accused, who are both from Ottawa, have been released and are to appear in court on July 26, police said. Ottawa police Const. Michelle Lacroix said that the investigation is complete, and police do not anticipate making other arrests or laying further charges.

The man and woman accused of assaulting Michael Marcil, who is better known by his drag persona Dixie Landers, made a brief first appearance in Ottawa court on Thursday morning.

Police announced on Jun 28 that Sheri-Lee Rand, 29, was charged with assault in the May 26 incident. Her co-accused, 26-year-old Andrew Lefevbre, was charged with assault causing bodily harm.

A brawl at the Centretown Pub shortly after 2am on May 26 left Marcil with several broken bones, a fractured skull and brain damage.

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Trial proceedings for the accused are not likely to start until February 2008 at the earliest. Although Rand could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison, and Lefebvre could face up to 10 years, a more likely sentence is probation.