How I Became A Drag Queen

When I started doing drag I didn't give an inkling of thought towards how big it could become to me. It was something I wanted to pursue for the fun of it, for the artistry and for the escape. I still love it for all those reasons, but now it's become something even bigger. Drag is an art-form, but it's also more than that.  It is not reserved for men parading as women and women parading as men, nor is it reserved for the LGBTQA* community. Drag simply requires an openness and acceptance of all types of people, and acts as a medium for anyone wishing to put their heart and soul into an expression of themselves. It's this acceptance I've come to love and appreciate more than anything else. I couldn't help but feel from the beginning that what I was pursuing would be shunned or disregarded by many of my peers outside the community. What I was surprised to find, was that over time people are willing to accept drag as what it actually is: art, and move away from...

Drag is not a contact sport, but should it be a competition? RuPaul's Drag Race is a TV phenomenon, bringing an underground art-form to the forefront of pop culture. Ru herself just won an Emmy, and is nominated for multiple MTV awards. On the show, Ru drives her queens (almost exclusively men dressing up as women) to compete for an ultimate crown of America's Next Drag Superstar. It's a cutthroat, high stakes, sometimes literal race that drives these queens (because there have never been drag kings on it **hint hint Ru**) to their limits, and to the constant critique and ridicule of the judges to fit a certain bill. But RuPaul's drag race is reality TV. Promo art for RuPaul's Drag Race (RuPaul pictured) Meanwhile, in my current home of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a similar competition is taking place: Alberta's Next Drag Superstar (ANDS), totally not bridging on a copyright violation. Drag performers, not just drag queens (yes folks, Alberta is more ...