The Big Bad Drag Queen is Coming!

Article by Maya Vukovska

Mrs. Doubtfire, Tango and Cash, Tootsie, Junior, The Nutty Professor… What all these epic movies have in common is that in all of them, men dress up as women. The characters these great actors create are all hilarious, touching, and inspiring. And yes, they are in drag - and quite an impressive one at that! Drag is not something that was born yesterday. From ancient Greek theater to RuPaul’s Drag Race and Pose, this performative art form has existed for centuries. With their elaborate makeup, flamboyant wigs, clothes, and accessories these male performers defy the traditional gender roles by playing with sexuality and stereotypes. Today’s drag queens use dancing, singing, lip-singing, and acting to create mind-blowing shows for the viewers. But despite the general public's acceptance of drag culture, some conservative communities have embarked on a great crusade to liberate society from the degrading influence of drag on children. At the beginning of 2020, a certain drag queen, Kitty Demure, spoke out on Twitter against Drag Queen Story Hour - an initiative started in San Francisco in 2015 by activist Michelle Tea with the goal to promote reading and diversity, and which gradually took the whole country by storm. What Kitty Demure was furious about was that the "woke generation" is trying to rebrand drag culture as an educational tool. To her, drag culture is highly sexualized and for that reason, it should be categorized as adult entertainment. "I have absolutely no idea", Kitty Demure writes, "why you would want drag queens to influence your child." And adds, “Would you want a stripper or porn star to influence your kid?” The debate around whether drag queen performances are indeed harmful and inappropriate for minors got especially heated last summer when some politicians proposed banning kids from drag events (DQSH including) and even criminally charging parents who take their kids to one. But it didn’t stop there. In January this year, Republican legislators in Arkansas introduced a bill that would classify drag performances and shows as forms of entertainment similar to erotic films and escort services. What’s more, they insist on banning drag shows on public properties or places where they could be viewed by people under 18. Their claim is that drag is destroying the kids’ innocence, and if they watch such shows they won’t be kids anymore. If the bill passes and becomes a law it will affect Pride festivals, Miss Gay America, and other similar events. This misguided belief is, of course, absurd. Many drag opponents mention nudity in their objections. Obviously, they haven’t watched many shows, if any at all, because if they had, they would have known that queens often wear more, not less clothing than a typical American woman nowadays. And what's more, if we consider drag entertainment for grown-ups, then what about the whole beauty queen culture that is all about hyper-sexualization and objectification of young girls? But probably the strongest argument against such a ridiculous bill comes with the very definition of drag. Originally, the bill defined drag as 'exhibiting a gender identity that is different from the performer’s gender assigned at birth.' Well, I don’t know how these legislators interpret this line, but it means that every high-school theatrical production their kids participated in was technically a drag show held on public property. And yes, that also means that all the above-mentioned movies should be X rated. Sorry, Mr. Schwarzenegger, but some grumpy politicians find your embodiment of a pregnant woman, wearing pearls and a pink dress, dangerous for the morale of innocent minors. As I personally see it, this supposedly burning issue is not about the protection of children from the Big Bad Drag Queen. Labeling drag as a sexualized type of performance implies a damaging stereotype of gay men, which makes it an issue against individuals who have laid the foundations for a completely unique pop culture, and who have worked their asses off for decades just to feel accepted! If these reactionary conservatives ever actually saw a drag show, their concerns would probably be put to rest.