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The Evolution of Drag. TEXT : CHARLOTTE DOHERTY
“It’s very important to know about the historical aspects, there were so many greats that started drag, and expanded it.” – Gucci Gaboré
“I think Drag Kings are just misunderstood” Venus Dilimo, the Drag daughter of Sharon Needles, is a Faux Queen. Like the Kings she refers to she is a part of a lesser known subculture within the Drag community. It may shock some to come across these seemingly ominous phrases, but don’t feel out of the loop. From cities in the UK like Brighton and Manchester, all the way out to Kansas and Ottawa, Drag Kings such as Dick Slick, Kitt Kavanagh and Cyril Cinder are gracing the stages and entertaining audiences. But rarely to the general public’s knowledge. The King culture, like any form of Drag, uses theatre and performance to create a satirical show, exaggerating gender constructs society relates to as male or female. The aim of the game? Give the crowd a good time. So Kings don’t really differ from the Queens our generation has become accustomed to, and yet the Drag movement is still falling short in its difficulty to accept woman dressed as men. Cyril Cinder, an Ottawa based Drag King believes “When people talk about Drag, I think they’re probably thinking of Queens” and she couldn’t be more right. A question debated in all corners of the internet, is what finally gave the LBGBTQ+ community a voice. A pivotal event defining the beginnings of a modern gay movement was the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Who was the catalyst? Marsha P Johnson. An African American Drag Queen and gay liberation activist. Marsha Is said to have smashed her shot glass against a mirror as she shouted ‘I got my civil rights’. The shot glass now said to have been heard “all around the world.” For Gucci Gaboré, a north east based Queen, it’s important to know the history of Drag “just like any other profession”. Something which is imperative when the modern gay community is able to stand in liberated glory. Through this freedom of expression Marsha, and other greats, were able to make their mark in history. So don’t get me wrong, Drag Queens weren’t always in the limelight, and with the coverage they receive in 2016, it’s a shame the history is more than often overlooked. Gucci shared his understanding on the current acceptance of Drag “many people now see Queens as ‘normal’ people”. But the bitter truth? “There’s still too many who don’t”. The level of acceptance Drag receives was fought for with blood, sweat, tears and mascara. Yet in Cyril Cinder’s community “Drag performers are still being attacked on their way home from shows.” And it wasn’t until recently that the world really opened their eyes to the talents of Drag.
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In an era where the first black president can turn the White House rainbow, who do we have to thank for diversity spreading like wildfire? Although Queens are going beyond the niche publications, it seems Kings may never be able to infiltrate the mainstream. It’s undeniable that influences such as RuPaul’s Drag Race have helped the world to understand Queens a little more. Or if not understand then observe. But what effect does this have on the unspoken genres within Drag? “It’s called Drag Race, but it ONLY features Queens. Leading people to believe that Kings and Faux Queens don’t exist. It’s hurting the community.” Cyril doesn’t have anything against the programme and neither do I, but I agree with her when she says “they could have at least called it RuPaul’s Drag QUEEN Race.” We can’t let RuPaul take all the credit for Queens becoming the next big thing. It’s certainly civilization’s unhealthy dependency on social media really making a mark. Thanks to global media coverage Queens have gone from being an obscure and misunderstood subculture, to becoming one of the most elite trends. When attending the Drag King night ‘BoiZone’ in Manchester, where I had the pleasure of meeting Dick Slick in the flesh, there was undoubtedly an underground exclusive feel about the event. Unfortunately not exclusive out of choice, more so because of the small number of attendees who understand and embrace the culture. In Slick’s eyes Kings have a long way to go “I’d say we’re about 15 years behind the Queens. Unfortunately we never had a Dame Edna, Lily Savage or Danny LaRue in the public eye to do the explaining for us.” In the UK and across the border males have been impersonating females in the theatre for centuries. To appear with a male persona through clothing and makeup is harder to pull off as a female, the authenticity or lack of, is what many say makes them feel “uncomfortable” about this form of Drag. Yet we don’t bat an eyelid at Gucci’s deliberate lack of cleavage. Looking down the timeline of LGBTQ+, or more specifically Drag achievements, the phrase Drag King is one rarely seen. When understanding contemporary Drag culture, we as the public have proven that we are simply more accepting of a male dressed as a female. As much as I would like it to not be true, in a generation where diversity is so ‘embraced’, I question whether we are still merely constructs of society and what we have been conditioned to appreciate. I will leave you with those thoughts to consider.
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THINK ALT // ISSUE ONE // FEBUARY 2016.