What is up with drag?

Myth-busting Monday: What is up with drag?

 

Often, people assume that drag is performed by gay and/or trans folks only, but this is a misconception that has been in place for some time, possibly due to the history of drag1.

 

Drag is exaggerated gender performance, like a caricature of gender, and anyone can perform drag – male, female, nonbinary, trans.  Most often when we think of drag, we think of drag queens, but there are drag kings as well (here a caricature of masculinity).

 

Although there is a cultural assumption that drag is for gay men, drag does not indicate anything about a person’s sexual orientation.  People of all genders as well as all orientations can perform drag.

 

If someone performs in drag, rather than make assumptions, the most accurate way of determining what it means to that person and why they do it is to ask.  To that person, drag may be theatre, sexy, subversion, part of the performer’s identity, signaling of their own orientation, a way to make money or gain status in their community, or _______?  There are likely as many reasons for performing drag as there are people that do it.

 

Another consideration regarding drag is the viewer – who attends drag shows and why?  Recently I went to a drag performance and the attendees appeared to be mostly women2.  The (assumed) gender of the attendees being mostly women is not unusual3 – people have suggested that women love drag (queen) shows because the viewers get to participate in the appreciation of what is a culturally assumed presentation and exaggeration of the “feminine”4. Part of that appreciation too may be the ability to explore non-normative attractions and desires.  Other possibly reasons for attending drag shows (queen, king, +) may be assumed access to “gay” or “queer” culture, curiosity, appreciation of the artistry and creativity of the performers, and even the humor involved in shows.

 

Questions for the reader:

  1. What assumptions did you have about drag performers before reading this piece? Where did those come from and was this piece helpful in challenging those?
  2. Have you ever been to a drag show? What was it like?  Why did you go and what did you enjoy about it?
  3. How does drag subvert gender norms and patriarchal heterosexism? (systems questions are my favorite!)

 

I hope you found this piece helpful and that you consider stepping out of your comfort zone and attending a drag performance if you haven’t already, to support the artists doing work around gender, sexuality, and cultural norms.

 

Resources and references:

  1. History of drag, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_queen Note that drag as we understand it in America might go back to the 1880s and was possibly influenced by racism, which feels deeply uncomfortable but important to be aware of. Many in drag now are POC (people of color).  As a culture, we owe an unpayable debt to marginalized people that have worked hard and lost lives to ending oppression, and liberation along sexuality is not different.  Here is an article discussing the legal history of drag: https://www.history.com/news/stonewall-riots-lgbtq-drag-three-article-rule#:~:text=Laws%20criminalizing%20cross%2Ddressing%20spread,a%20road%20or%20public%20highway.%E2%80%9D  And an article discussing POC and drag https://www.glaad.org/amp/drag-race-queens-color-fandom-racism-visibility-and-impact  
  2. The assumption of gender is questionable, to me anyway, as gender is always questionable unless you ask the people how they identify
  3. https://slate.com/human-interest/2017/01/why-drag-queens-biggest-fans-are-increasingly-young-women.html
  4. As someone that identifies as queer and utilizes queer theory, labeling characteristics as feminine or masculine to me is problematic, unscientific, cultural, and perpetuates supremacy systems. See information around queer theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_theory

The documentary, Disclosure, is currently airing on Netflix and might be of interest to readers.  While the primary focus on the piece is transgender folks, the documentary does discuss the history of drag a bit.  View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSgvWixY-ZQ

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