What’s the Difference Between Being Transgender and Being a Drag Performer?
Mike Doughty, October ‘22 Newsletter
In honor of it being spooky season, I wanted to focus on what many of us are thinking about with Halloween around the corner – what to wear! Halloween is famously the “birthday” for many drag queens and kings across the globe since Halloween gives many people the freedom to dress up how they want and explore in a safe public way, and for some it’s just a one-time thing, but for others, it can start a career.
Drag is the art of dressing up in an over-the-top, exaggerated way. Drag Queens are people who wear exaggerated feminine attire, while Drag Kings are people who dress in exaggerated masculine attire. There are different degrees of drag and there’s been a stereotypical expectation that Drag Queens are gay men, whereas Drag King performers are lesbians. However, being a Drag artist is for everyone, and largely due to the popularity of the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race in the last several years, Drag has exploded into the public eye. We can see that Drag artists aren’t limited by their sexuality or gender.
As more Drag Queens publicly come out as transgender or non-binary, the relationship between being trans and being a Drag performer is discussed more often. The short and simple version is the same logic as being an Ally. Trans is something you ARE, Drag is something you DO. Being transgender is a part of someone’s identity, and Drag is a hobby or career.
(Side note: If you go to a Drag Show please make sure to tip them! They work hard for your entertainment!)
While some trans people explore and express their gender through Drag– such as putting on a wig and makeup, or painting on facial hair and binding your chest, or using pads to give your body a different shape–not all trans people use drag to explore, and not all drag involves that kind of exploration. Some trans people enjoy performing as Drag Queens or Kings to feel some gender euphoria in a public way. The film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything; Julie Newmar (1995) has a good, although slightly dated, depiction of this with Patrick Swayze’s character Vida Boheme. I won’t take time to summarize the film here, but you should go watch the movie if you haven’t seen it! It’s wonderful!
All that being said, sometimes Drag performers are questioned about being “secretly” transgender, or an assumption is made that trans people can’t do Drag. The fun thing about Drag is that anyone – cisgender, transgender, gay, straight -- can do it! It’s a great way to explore and play with gender, and it’s also a great way to find community. So if you are still uncertain about what you want to wear for Halloween, maybe consider having some fun with gender and let yourself explore the art of Drag!