Drag: More than an entertainers

Drag culture influences our culture and society in many more ways than you ever notice.

By Thanitpong Rueangnitiwit

June 23, 2020

From the quote by the famous drag queen, RuPaul, says “Born naked and the rest is drag,” drag is related to everyone and gradually emerges into our daily lives even without our recognition. People might think drag is still a niche thing but, in reality, it is hidden in the mainstream everywhere. Furthermore, the drag community is connected to many other aspects in our society including civil rights and politics.

Drag queens are a huge part in supporting the acceptance of gender rights and equality. In 1969 after the Stonewall Riot, the palace became the gathering place for gay activists and they raise awareness and form the community for the gay movement. One of the important people in the Stonewall protest is Marsha P. Johnson who is an African-Americans drag performer and gay liberation activist which her action has a great influence on the LGBTQ+ community even in today’s society.

Marsha P. Johnson on the protest for the gay right liberation in 1969 (Image Credit: Biscayne/Kim Peterson)

With the Stonewall protest, it results in the first gay pride the world history which is created to celebrate the success and achievement of the community; consequently, this first pride parade inspired different states across the country and later other countries around the globe. However, with the success of gay pride, the discrimination and inequality toward the gay community still exist so this movement from drag queens still not end. They continue to fight for their equality; for example, Bob the Drag Queen, the competitors form Rupaul’s Drag Race, the television reality show, still promoting equality for the community and even got arrested from it.

Although drag queens might be playing a significant role in the queer community and maybe see as a hero for their rights, they receive a completely opposite view from the mainstream. In the past, people when thinking of drag queen they might think of just sarcastic cross-dressing performers; however thanks to RuPaul, general people have a new perspective towards drag performers. RuPaul Andre Charles started to enter the mainstream media with his music and a year later got to have his own talk show, The RuPaul Show. Later, Rupaul became a household name and made people start to look at drag queens in a new way; consequently, he created his biggest hits and Emmy-award winning show, Rupaul’s Drag Race which became a sensation and even pave the ways for hundreds of other drag queens into the mainstream media.

RuPaul with his sixth Primetime Emmy Award Trophy (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Therefore, drag queens started to become one of the huge representation of the queer community in the media and with the success of the reality television show, Rupaul’s Drag Race, there are even more important figures to stand and speak up for the community. RuPaul even includes the political aspect in the latest season of his show by continually promoting their viewers to register to vote for the upcoming election throughout and even before the premiere of the 12th season. Furthermore, the show really shed the light for the drag queen to become prominent in today’s mainstream media; moreover, with the respect and acceptance form the media, drag queens become one of the important political figures that people look forward to. Queens are brave enough to speak up about their political point of view in some way because they, nowadays, have a voice that was heard and from being suppressed in the past.

With moving from local network to larger channels like VH1, RuPaul Drag Race is definitely growing. Drag queens are showing up in every entertainment industry that we can think of. They are bigger than ever and the art of drag is now in television series, brands’ collaborations, and even fashion shoots and shows. Drag also became a plethora of references in today’s mainstream media. Drag really provides queer representation into the public’s eyes which are able to show the change that LQBTQ+ people are more accepted for the society than the past. However, drag would never be completely considered mainstream and the statement was even spoken by Rupaul himself due to drag is sometimes individual which is hard for the society to entirely understand. However, drag became a staple in the media and the media will never be the same with a drag persona.

Drag has been in society for over half of a century and, at first, it is just a niche community; nevertheless, it is a leading role in encouraging people in the LQBTQ+ community and fighting for our rights. Drag has always been political both in the past and in modern days; however, in the present, they have a much louder voice to speak up for the community thanks to the winning in the mainstream media. From my perspective, drag queens should continue to represent and stand with the community and help the LGBTQ+ people to feel included in society.