When most people think of Drag Queens they think of gay men dressed up in outlandish costuming, thick putty-like make-up and extremely flamboyant, outrageous behavior all over the place but that assumption is nothing but a mere stereotype. Drag Queens are real people just like you and me and they've been given many a negative, judgemental rap for decades and that kind of bashing behavior needs to stop. Right now. No, I personally am not a Drag Queen, nor have I ever actually considered doing Drag because quite frankly I dont think I have the talent for it; plus the only interaction I've ever had with an audience is giving a lecture on various historical periods here-n-there. In regards to human history, one of the bottom lines regarding Drag Queens is simply this - it's a known fact that before any community can have peace outside of it, it needs to have peace within it and that includes Drag Queens as central members of the overall LGBT community, not on the outskirts as some members of our community would have it. And if you are one of those people who has insecurities regarding the prescence of Drag Queens in the world community, your time to get over yourself should've expired many years ago.
But before I get into that I wanted to remind my readers that yes, there are female Drag Queens out there too, it's just that we don't hear much about them and that is sad unto itself, for they are members of the LGBT community too. Due to the fact that I do not know any personally, nor am I aware of their experiences, I will not be writing about them in this piece and if there are any out there whom read this I hope they will understand. Back to the Drag Queens I do know about..
The amount of accolades Drag Queens have downright earned over the years are not only immeasurable but also extremely faceted as well. They are so much more than just gay men dressing up in women's clothing. Drag Queens are artists in every sense of the word. It's not just how they apply their makeup and do their hair/wigs, they are illusionists who painstakingly transform their entire bodies into the exact opposite of who they are biologically - and 98.5% of them pull it off quite effectively. To have that skill, as well as that talent, to be able to transform oneself into many a downright stunning persona is like creating a great work of art. It's not just dressing up and throwing on a ton of foundation and lipstick, it truly is magic in every sense of the word.
They are actors who command a stage prescence the second they walk out onto that stage and/or catwalk and perform for their audiences. Acting, singing, dancing, comical routines, you name it, they do it all and most of them do it damn good too. If you think getting up in front of masses of total strangers many nights of the week and attempting to provide each and every one of those strangers with an entrancing experience is easy, you're wrong. They give of themselves exactly the same way movie/tv/stage actors give of themselves - 100% for you the individual audience member. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are many Drag Queens out there who find performing for an audience as simple as breathing in fresh air but I'm also certain there are just as many who get a bit nervous, getta twang of stagefright here-n-there and tell themselves before the stage lights come on "Oh I just hope they like me tonight!" Either way, they are giving of themselves, they are extending part of their actual psyches out there and even though the majority of them do love it (hell, they'd have to in order to do the hard work each and every one of them does), their presentations towards us the audience need to be viewed and appreciated with our full attention spans.
Preservationists of history. Yes, you read correctly. Look at all the different types of dresses and accessories they utilize when creating their numerous stage personas. You don't have to be a fashion expert to notice immediately that most of their ensembles consist of clothing fashions through-out the ages, whether it is resembling a woman of royalty during Louis XVI's time period to the square-shouldered broad looks of women like Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, they not only create that illusion but again, they pull if off convincingly. In that sense it's more than just the look - in order to present yourself as an entirely different personality from who you are as a real person, you have to psychologically train and primp yourself mentally into becoming that individual, or a very close facsimilie thereof. But not just once. As with any actor out there, you have to give the same identical performance when you create your character and if you have more than one character you are portraying? Like I said before, it's not just dressing up, it takes real hard work and dedication to not only become a Drag Queen, but also to remain a successful Drag Queen.
Philanthropists. Yep, you read that one right too. Pick any of the wide range of charities out there - civil rights, gay marriage, Hiv/AIDS care and research, anti-violence projects, you name it and nine times outta ten you will not find a Drag Queen who hasn't donated the profits from a performance to one of the causes that concern the overall LGBT community - and not just one single time either, they give of themselves and donate their time, energy and profits over and over again. Funny how many of our leaders continously stress giving back to the LGBT community yet isnt it amazing that the majority of those who do so are the Drag Queens? Oh forgot to mention, that's another one of their accolades - they indeed are literally motherly and nurturing in their own right, make no mistake about that. If you ever wanna know who some of the best fighters are for the betterment and protection of the overall LGBT community, go ahead, piss off a Drag Queen and you'll see rather quickly exactly what I am talking about. And people say they aren't real men? If any of you even remotely entertain that thought you have a lot to learn not just about life, but people in general.
Lastly, but definitely not in the least, they are friends and family who are unwavering and extremely loyal to their loved ones. They are real people, they have feelings, thoughts, emotions, good times and bad times, just like the rest of us. In my original Facebook Bio Profile I stated that what Drag Queens bring to their stages are mere extensions of their inner selves, their inner psyches but I need to take that one step further to get the following point across to you all - imagine someone who wants to wow the entire world BUT, multiply that by the amount of love and compassion they have for others about 10 times and that is who a Drag Queen is. They really are some of the most intriguing and most deepest individuals you will ever come across, not just in the LGBT community, but the entire world. And I mean it. Now I realize that nobody is perfect and just like every group of individuals out there I'm certain there are Drag Queens who aren't good, who may very well be selfish and self-serving and perhaps even the nastiest of the nasties in the world; but, did you ever notice that when one is a bad Drag Queen, they eventually fade away and you never hear of them again? To use a phrase I've been seeing on Facebook a lot lately, "just sayin..."
A couple more stereotypes about Drag Queens that also need to end up in that circular file that I like to call "the ChickenShit File." First, the attitude that Drag Queens are nothing but "nelly little homos" is extremely false, not just because of all the previous examples of their strength of character that I have illustrated thus far in this piece, but also because most of the Drag Queens I have met were some of the most masculine, most butch, and in a few cases, most well-hung men whom I have ever had the opportunity of meeting in my entire life. No, I'm not kidding. Don't let their on-stage personas fool you for one bit - if you think for even one second that they can transform themselves into some of the most exhilarating creatures this world has ever seen, but yet are not capable of knocking you to the cement in an instant or making love to you like a real man does, you are very sadly mistaken. Let's face it, there are a lotta Drag Queens out there who have sets of balls bigger than Godzilla's, trust me. Or in this case, never judge a man by the dress he's wearing, he just may surprise you.
Second, ever since the early 1980's I've heard so many members of the LGBT community state they don't like Drag Queens because of their "queeny atttitudes" and "bad hormonal tempers." Not all Drag Queens have "queeny attitudes" nor "bad hormonal tempers", but if they did, Lord knows they would be justified for alotta the shit they get from a lotta folks out there. And please, define what is "bad" will you? Because all I see is a lot of jealous people being downright ugly and heinous just because they don't have the inner drive and determination that most Drag Queens have. That's what it is, isnt it? Maybe we all should do what the feminists of the 1960's use to say to men - if you don't believe in what we go through in our daily lives, be a woman for a day - yes, maybe each and every one of us should be a Drag Queen for a day because I will make you a bottom-dollar bet that if everyone were to do just that, there wouldn't be any of the inaccurate and castigating judgements made against one single Drag Queen.
From RuPaul to Ongina, there are a ton of Drag Queens out there to fit everyone's own individual expectation of what makes (or doesn't make) a decent Drag Queen. After this piece is posted, I'm sure I will get a few messages here-n-there asking who some of my most favorite Drag Queens are but instead of that happening I'd like to take the liberty of listing who my favorites are right now. BUT, let me make this very clear first - these choices are based totally on my own personal opinion, they are my own personal favorites, you may not agree with them and that is totally your opinion. My Top 5 Favorite Drag Queens in the world are.....1). Jade Elektra...2). Lady Bunny...3). RuPaul....4). Lady Chablis..5). Moist Towelette. Don't let any of my choices influence you - though I gotta admit, no one can outdo Jade Elektra, sorry, you just can't guys! - there are a million and one captivating Drag Queens out there, try to see as many of their shows as you can because I do not think you will be even the slightest bit disappointed. If for some reason you don't have time to attend their shows regularly, then try to make it a point of going to one of their fundraising shows, great entertainment with proceeds towards a great cause - doesn't get any better than that.
A couple months back, someone whom I consider a good friend as well as an extraordinary man, made a quote about how he personally felt that "...Drag Queens are the backbone of the gay community" and I think he was right, not because he's my friend, nor because I have always found Drag Queens to be some of the most genuine, fascinating people I have ever met during my lifetime, but because I think it's true. They've been in existence for centuries and let's not forget that they were there at the birth of the modern gay right's movement back in 1969 during the Stonewall Riots too. I've said and written all these things about Drag Queens because just like many others I personally have taken the time to get to know them and oh my God, if you did too you would realize immediately that they arent any different than the rest of us, except for one thing - their form of self-expression takes on a life all it's own and and I ask myself how could that be such a bad thing? It's not. They are not freaks, they are not female wannabes, they are not any of the negative things I have heard others call them over the years. They are real people who live in the real world and make a real difference. Yeah, it's really that simple. Thank you for reading.
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