A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and can vary even within the same city. Although many drag queens are gay men, there are drag artists of all genders and sexualities who do drag for various reasons or purposes. Women who dress like men for the same purpose are known as drag kings.

Generally, however drag queens are males who dress in a female gender role, often exaggerating certain characteristics (such as make-up and eyelashes) for comic, dramatic or satirical effect. Other drag performers include drag kings, who are women who perform in male roles, faux queens, who are women who dress in an exaggerated style to emulate drag queens and faux kings, who are men who dress to impersonate drag kings.

The term drag queen usually refers to people who dress in drag for the purpose of performing, whether singing or lip-synching, dancing, participating in events such as gay pride parades, drag pageants, or at venues such as cabarets and discotheques. In the United Kingdom, alongside traditional drag work such as shows and performances, many drag queens engage in 'mix-and-mingle' or hosting work at night clubs or at private parties/events. Drag is a part of Western gay culture;

Terminology[link]

Drag queen[link]

The etymology of the term "drag queen" is disputed. The term drag queen occurred in Polari, a subset of English slang that was popular in some gay communities in the early part of the 20th century. Its first recorded use to refer to actors dressed in women's clothing is from 1870.^[1] A folk etymology whose acronym basis reveals the late 20th-century bias, would make "drag" an abbreviation of "dressed as a girl" in description of male transvestism. Queen may refer to the trait of affected royalty found in many drag characters. It is also related to the Old English word "quean" or cwene, which originally simply meant "woman", then was later used as a label both for promiscuous women and gay men (see Oxford English Dictionary definition number 3 for "queen"). Drag as a term referring to women's clothing worn by men has less clear origins. According to one theory, it was used in reference to transvestites at least as early as the 18th century, owing to the tendency of their skirts to drag on the ground.^{[citation needed]} Another possibility is that it derives from non-English languages. Bardag was a Persian word meaning "slave", which developed into the Spanish term bardaje referring to a "passive sodomite". This was borrowed into French as bardache. The French word was then used in America in the American-English form berdache, and was used in referring to indigenous men who assumed the role of homemaker and dressed as a woman, while the wife left the home to assume warrior duties.^[2]

Female impersonator[link]

Another term for a drag queen female impersonator, is still used—though it is sometimes regarded as inaccurate, because some contemporary drag performers are not attempting to pass as women. Female impersonation, has been and continues to be illegal in some places, which inspired the drag queen José Sarria to hand out labels to his friends reading "I am a boy," so he could not be accused of female impersonation.^[3] American drag queen RuPaul once said "I do not impersonate females! How many women do you know who wear seven-inch heels, four-foot wigs, and skintight dresses?" He also said, "I don't dress like a woman; I dress like a drag queen!". Celebrity drag couple "The Darling Bears" go so far as to sport full beards for their performances, which could also be referred to as genderfuck. Going in drag while retaining clearly masculine features is referred to as skag drag. Some performers draw the distinction that a female impersonator seeks to emulate a specific female star or celebrity, while a drag queen only seeks to create a distinctive feminine persona of his or her own.

Alternative terms[link]

There are also performers who prefer to be called "gender illusionists" who do blur the line between transgender and drag queen. Generally transgender performers do not consider themselves to be drag queens and drag queens don't consider themselves to be illusionists, but, as with everything, there are exceptions. Often these distinctions are more generational as laws and acceptance of individuality change and grow.

Many drag queens prefer to be referred to as "she" while in drag and desire to stay completely in character. Some performers object to being referred to as "he" or by their legal name while in character. Drag performer RuPaul is an exception, as he seems to be completely indifferent to which pronoun is used to refer to him. In his words, "You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don't care!"^[4]

The term tranny has most recently been embraced by drag performers, notably RuRaul,^[5] and the gay male community^[6] in the United States. It is considered very offensive to transgender and transsexual people.^[7][8]

Drag and transvestism[link]

Drag queens walking in a parade in São Paulo, Brazil.

Most drag queens perform for personal fulfillment as a hobby, a profession, or an art form; as a way to be in the spotlight; or as a road to local or wider fame. Historically and currently, there have been and are a significant number of heterosexual men, generally actors, who perform in drag. There are also transgender or transsexual people, as well as straight women, who perform as drag queens.

Drag queens are sometimes called transvestites, although that term also has many other connotations than the term "drag queen". "Drag queen" usually connotes cross-dressing for the purposes of entertainment or performance without necessarily aiming to pass as female. It is not generally used to describe those persons who cross-dress for the fulfillment of transvestic fetishes alone, or whose cross-dressing is primarily part of a private sexual activity or identity. As for those whose motivation is not primarily sexual, and who may socialise cross-dressed, they tend not to adopt the typical over-the-top drag queen look.

Drag queen names[link]

There tend to be three types of drag names: The first are satirical names that play on words, such as Miss Understood, Peaches Christ, and Lypsinka.

The second type are names that trend toward glamour and extravagance, such as Dame Edna Everage, Chi Chi LaRue, Margo Howard-Howard, Betty "Legs" Diamond and The Lady Chablis. This is the type used by the character Albin in the movie and musical La Cage Aux Folles for his drag persona, "Miss ZaZa Napoli".

The third type is considered simpler but can have an in-depth backstory, cultural or geographical significance or simply be a feminine form of their "boy" name. Often a drag queen will pick a name or be given one by a friend or "drag mother" as a one-time occasion only to discover they like performing and go on to use a less-than ideal name for years. Drag queens do change names as well even using two or more concurrently for various reasons. Some examples of simpler names include Amelia Cortez, Verka Serduchka, Miss Coco Peru, Shequida, Rikki Reeves, Betty Butterfield and Divine.

Drag shows and venues[link]

Lorella Sukkiarini, an Italian drag queen, preparing stage make-up.

A drag show is an entertainment consisting of a variety of songs, monologues or skits featuring either single performers or groups of performers in drag meant to entertain an audience. They range from amateur performances at small bars to elaborately staged theatrical presentations. Many drag shows feature performers singing or lip-synching to songs while performing a pre-planned pantomime, or dancing. The performers often don elaborate costumes and makeup, and sometimes dress to imitate various famous female singers or personalities. And some events are centered around drag, such as Southern Decadence where the majority of festivities are led by the Grand Marshals, who are traditionally drag queens.^[9]

In films[link]

• 1953 – Glen or Glenda, one of the most famous cult classics of Ed Wood, starring himself as Glen and Glenda.
• 1959 – Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
• 1967 – Thoroughly Modern Millie, an American musical starring Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, John Gavin, and Beatrice Lillie, notable where Fox's character dresses in drag in order to find out what happened to Tyler-Moore's character.
• 1969 – Funeral Parade of Roses starring Peter
• 1979 – The Rose starring Bette Midler, notable for a scene in which Midler's character Mary Rose Foster performs a duet on stage in a drag club with a drag queen (played by Kenny Sacha) who is impersonating Midler as Foster.
• 1982 - Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, and Teri Garr
• 1982 - Victor Victoria starring Julie Andrews
• 1988 – Hairspray starring Divine
• 1988 – Torch Song Trilogy starring Harvey Fierstein, Anne Bancroft and Matthew Broderick
• 1990 – Paris Is Burning a documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. It chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the gay and transgender community involved in it.
• 1991 – Vegas in Space starring Doris Fish, Miss X, Ginger Quest, and introducing 'Tippi'
• 1993 - Mrs. Doubtfire starring Robin Williams, Sally Field, and Pierce Brosnan.
• 1994 – The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert starring Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, and Guy Pearce
• 1995 – To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo (cameo by RuPaul)
• 1996 – The Birdcage starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest
• 1996 - The Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy.
• 1998 – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil starring John Cusack, Kevin Spacey and starring as herself Lady Chablis
• 1999 – Flawless starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robert DeNiro
• 2000 - Big Momma's House starring Martin Lawrence
• 2001 – Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring John Cameron Mitchell
• 2003 – Girls Will Be Girls directed by Richard Day, starring Miss Coco Peru (Clinton Leupp), Evie Harris (Jack Plotnick), and Varla Jean Merman (Jeffery Roberson).
• 2004 – Connie and Carla starring Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, and David Duchovny
• 2005 – Kinky Boots starring Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, and Nick Frost
• 2005 – Rent
• 2006 – The Curiosity of Chance starring Tad Hilgenbrink and Brett Chukerman
• 2006 - "I Wanna Be a Republican" starring The Kinsey Sicks, America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet
• 2007 – A Shade Before Pink features cross dressing, drag queens and gender questioning. Starring Cary Woodworth and Rhoda Jordan, guest appearance by Jackie Beat.
• 2007 – St. Trinian's starring Rupert Everett as Camilla Fritton, the headmistress of the school.
• 2008 – Slingbacks and Syrup^{[10][11][12][13]} a documentary about the House of LeMay that held its world premiere at the Vermont International Film Festival.
• 2009 - Tamid oto chalom Israeli TV miniseries about drag life in Tel Aviv, based on the songs of Israeli song writer Svika Pick
• 2010 – Yazima Beauty Salon the Movie featuring drag comedy/dance group Yazima Beauty Salon
• 2011 - Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son starring Martin Lawrence and Brandon T Jackson

In music[link]

Miss Understood, who has appeared in several films and on television

Some male music celebrities wear exaggerated feminine clothing as part of their show, but they should not be necessarily called drag queens. Boy George wears drag queen style clothes and cosmetics but he once stated he was not a drag queen.^[14] RuPaul^[15] and Pete Burns are professional singers and drag queen performers.

Drag queens in lyrycal interpretation of some songs:

• Lola by The Kinks
• Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
• Dude (Looks Like a Lady) by Aerosmith
• Ballad of Cleo and Joe by Cyndi Lauper
• King for a Day by Green Day
• Cherry Lips by Garbage
• Born This Way by Lady Gaga
• Do You Mind If We Talk About Bill by James Collins (about a transgendered ex-pop singer—video is on YouTube)
• I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross

Genres[link]

• High camp drag queens employ a drag aesthetic based on clown-like values like exaggeration, satire, and ribaldry. Pandora Boxx, Divine, Miss Understood, Peaches Christ, Hedda Lettuce and Jolene Sugarbaker can be considered examples of camp queens.

• Some drag queens exaggerate in the dimension of elegance and fashion, employing elaborate jewelry and gowns. The Lady Chablis, who can be seen in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is an example of this type of performer. Many of these drag queens impersonate specific actresses and pop divas such as Britney Spears, Cher, Bette Midler, Madonna, Gilla, Charo, Connie Francis, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Céline Dion, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, Shirley Bassey, Janet Jackson, Spice Girls, Lady Gaga and others, emulating their high-fashion costuming and jewelry. Drag artist John Epperson has used the persona Lypsinka as a caricature of Joan Crawford, including in his play The Passion of the Crawford.^[16]

A drag queen doing a celebrity impersonation of a gay icon, Cher.

• Some drag queens primarily perform in pageants, hence the term pageant queen. Pageant queens gear their act toward winning titles and prizes in various contests and pageant systems. Some of these have grand prizes that rival those of pageants such as Miss America; see drag pageantry. These drag queens can be known nationally and many work professionally year-round producing and hosting shows that specialize in drag and celebrity illusionists.

• Post-modernist drag queens; an example would be The Divine David, now appearing as David Hoyle, who regularly performed in London during the 1990s in clubs such as Duckie, in South London. He used an extreme form of presentation, with make-up that was applied roughly and then smeared across his face. His act was designed to make the audience feel extremely uncomfortable about any preconceived ideas of acceptable subject matter for a drag queen to tackle. One show included cutting up a pig's head and throwing the pieces into the audience. As such, the act bore close similarities to performance art of the 1970s. Vaginal Davis, in Los Angeles, has performed as a drag queen for many years; her genderfuck performances, often mixing male and female signifiers (also called "sloppy drag"), and her many appearances in performance art venues since the 1980s attest to her status as a performance artist. Like RuPaul, Davis is indifferent to whether addressed as "he" or "she."

Societal reception[link]

Drag has come to be a celebrated aspect of modern gay life. Many gay bars and clubs around the world hold drag shows as special parties. Several "International Drag Day" holidays have been started over the years to promote the shows. Typically, in the U.S. drag is celebrated in early March. This year, "Drag Day" falls on March 6.

On the Logo television network, its most successful program is a drag competition, RuPaul's Drag Race. However, its winners and contestants have yet to receive the same praise as mainstream reality show contestants.

However, within the larger lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) communities drag queens are sometimes criticized for their participation in pride parades and other public events, believing that this projects a limited and harmful image of gay people and impedes a broader social acceptance. In more recent years drag queens have been prominently featured at these same events. A common criticism of drag queens is that they promote harmful stereotypes of women, comparable to blackface portrayal of African-Americans by white performers that was popular in the early 20th century.

Drag queens are sometimes criticized by members of the transgender community — especially, but not exclusively, by many trans women — because of fears that they themselves may be stereotyped as drag queens. Canadian transgender activist Star Maris wrote a song entitled "I'm Not A Fucking Drag Queen" which expresses this viewpoint. The song was featured in the film Better Than Chocolate, performed by a male-to-female transsexual on stage at a gay club. The transsexual character, played by Peter Outerbridge, struggles throughout the movie to fit in with cisgender (non-transgender) women, and partially performs the song as an act of cathartic defiance and self-empowerment. Other transwomen reject those fears in the broader context that drag queens, many of whom are gender-variant and sexuality minorities, are more of an ally than a threat.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Drag queen

References[link]

Notes

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

External links[link]

• ICONS-NYC's Hottest Drag Show
• Drag Artist Discography (information and discography with historical references and photos) of drag artists & female impersonators
• The Pink Mirror – a film on Indian drag queens
• The Worldwide Directory of Drag Queens
• Drag Queen Social Network
• Queens of Las Vegas drag show
• International Drag Queens and Friends

v t e Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) topics   Academic fields Discourse LGBT topics in education Gender studies Lavender linguistics Lesbian feminism LGBT literature LGBT/Queer studies Queer theory Transfeminism   Community Culture Anthems Bars Bisexual community Coming out Community center Drag king Drag queen Gay friendly Icons Lesbian utopia Literature Music Neighborhoods Organizations Periodicals Pride Pride parade Religious groups Rodeos Same-sex relationships Slang List of slang Slogans Symbols Tourism Category:LGBT culture   Gender identities Sexual identities Gender identities Male Female Androgyne Bigender Boi Cisgender Genderqueer Girlfag and guydyke Intersex Pangender Transgender Womyn Third sex / Third gender Akava'ine Eunuch Fa'afafine Fakaleiti Femminiello Hijra Kathoey Khanith Mahu Mukhannathun Muxe Bissu Two-Spirit Hermaphrodite Sexual orientation identities Sexual orientations Asexual Bisexual Heterosexual Homosexual Ex-gay Ex-ex-gay Pansexual Polyamorous Banjee Gay Lesbian Queer Same gender loving Non-heterosexual Object sexuality Questioning Related Gender roles Human female sexuality Human male sexuality Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures   History LGBT history History of lesbianism LGBT History Timeline Social movements History of Christianity and homosexuality History of same-sex unions Pederasty Category:LGBT history Pre-modern era Adelphopoiesis Homosexuality in ancient Greece Homosexuality in ancient Rome Homosexuality in ancient Egypt Homosexuality in ancient Peru Homosexuality in medieval Europe 16th to 19th century Mollies Urnings 20th century Gay Liberation Homosexuals in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust Inversion Sea queens Stonewall riots Festival of Light action White Night riots Queer theory 21st century Same-sex marriage Post-Queer Theory   Rights Legal issues LGBT rights by country or territory Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania List of LGBT rights articles by region LGBT rights topics Adoption Civil unions and partnerships Hate crime laws Legal aspects of transsexualism Military service Parenting Same-sex marriage (Status Timeline) Socialism Sodomy laws United Nations/Yogyakarta Principles LGBT rights movements Gay Liberation LGBT rights groups LGBT rights activists   Sexual orientations – Medicine, science and sexology Biology Birth order Demographics Environment Heterosexual–homosexual continuum Homosexuality and psychology Kinsey scale Klein Grid Mental roots Neuroscience Prenatal hormones Sexual orientation change efforts Sexual orientation identity Timeline of sexual orientation and medicine   Social attitudes Prejudice Violence Social attitudes Anti-LGBT slogans Heteronormativity Gay panic LGBT rights opposition LGBT stereotypes Religion and homosexuality Transgenderism and religion Prejudice & Discrimination AIDS stigma Biphobia Heterosexism Homophobia Internalized homophobia Lesbophobia Riddle scale Transphobia Violence against LGBT people Corrective rape Gay bashing History of violence in the UK History of violence in the US Significant acts of violence against LGBT people Trans-bashing Unlawfully killed transgender people LGBT suicides Category:LGBT LGBT portal

Ana María Polo (born on April 11, 1958) is a Cuban American lawyer and Hispanic television judge on Caso Cerrado.^[1]

Born in Havana, Cuba, Ana, moved to Miami at a young age accompanied by her family. Later, they moved to Puerto Rico where she participated in different musicals including Godspell, Jubilee and Show Boat in addition to singing with the chorus of Jubilee, which was invited by Pope Paul VI to sing at St. Peter’s Basilica as part of the celebration of the 1975 Holy Year. She now is the judge on a show called "Caso cerrado."

A breast cancer survivor, Polo frequently speaks and raises funds for the cause.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ana María Polo at the Internet Movie Database

Ana María (17 May 1929 – 6 April 1983) was the "nom de guerre" of Mélida Anaya Montes, the second in command of the FMLN, in El Salvador.

An intellectual, she was considered as an icon among revolutionary women in the region. Eventually she was killed by her own comrades on April 6, 1983 in Managua, Nicaragua, after having made many sacrifices during her life as a guerrilla.

Later, the FMLN falsely blamed its leader Cayetano Carpio (sometimes referred to as the "Ho Chi Minh of Latin America") as the person responsible for the crime, and he committed suicide.

Early life[link]

She was born in the small town of Santiago Texacuangos, in the central zone of El Salvador. Ana María received her Doctorate of Education from the University of El Salvador, where she became a professor of education and gave classes in the Sixties. She was the assistant director of Alberto Masferrer University.

At the end of the 1960s, she became one of the main leaders of the Gremial Association "ANDES 21 de Junio" (National Association of Salvadoran Teachers 21 of June). She led the strikes of professors of 1968 and 1971, which created major trouble for the government of general Fidel Sanchez Hernandez.

In 1970, the ex-Secretary General of the Communist Party of El Salvador, Salvador Cayetano Carpio founded the first guerrilla detachment of El Salvador: The Popular Forces of Liberacion Farabundo Martí (FPL).

Death[link]

On April 6, 1983, Ana Maria was murdered at her home in Managua, Nicaragua. Her assassins stabbed her 8 times with an ice pick, 'to make it look like a brutal act of the Salvadorean right wing.' Nicaraguan authorities later apprehended the murderers and found them to be members of the FMLN. The murder was caused by a deep division that had developed within the FMLN. A conciliatory faction, which favored negotiation, was led by Ana Maria and Salvador Cayetano Carpio. The hard line faction opposed negotiation with the government of El Salvador, and supported a prolonged war. This faction was led by Rogelio Bazzaglia, who confessed to Ana Maria's murder.

Legacy[link]

Ana María continues to serve as an iconic example for educators and those struggling against oppression, especially in El Salvador. The Melida Anaya Montes Language School in San Salvador, which uses popular education techniques highlights social justice issues, is named for her.

See also[link]

• History of El Salvador
• Comandante Clelia

External links[link]

• FMLN (in Spanish)
• Melida Anaya Montes Language School

This Salvadoran biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article related to the North American military is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e