Drag Show

We went to the drag show at Neighbors last night. Before hand, we bought some liquor from the store and pre-funked at our house. Attendees included Robin, John, Bryan, Clint, Sara, Jo and yours truly. While being entertained, I was thinking about the nature of cross-dressing and why it's so damn fun to experience. On with my social commentary...

When I was young, my brother and I played a game called "prince and princess". I would put on one of my mother's old dresses, pumps and pretend I was a princess. Chris would always be the prince and be my protector. We would run around the house and get into brawls with imaginary creatures, always emerging victorious, and had a blast doing it. All us kids had/have powerful imaginations, thanks to much reading and teaching from our parents. I remember when I put on that dress, it gave me a sense of power. Pretending to be a woman was something I thought gave me extra ability, much beyond what I had already. This game never got sexual or perverted. It remained an innocent exploration of our affinity for the pretend. Later on, this game developed into "let's say" but that's another entry.

As I grew older, and especially now, I have no desire to dress as a woman. In fact, I'd make one ugly bitch so it's for the best that I don't anyway. Moreover, I wouldn't have the same experience as I did as a child. For me, cross-dressing doesn't conjure an added sense of ability or power anymore. But for those drag queens last night, it was apparent that they do still have that sensation when performing. First, and most importantly, they don't think they're women trapped in a man's body. I've talked with all of them at some point and they're hard-working, decent men who have steady jobs and simply moonlight as Cher/Madonna/Beyonce/whoever. They're as normal as anyone else and aren't slutty, drug-addicted, obnoxious gay boys who embody the negative stereotype. To the contrary, they're really fun and positive individuals who love to entertain others through the drag medium. It is because of these reasons that I cannot view their existence as a negative aspect on the gay community. I've talked with many who view these performers as disgusting and perverted. They make the argument that if someone isn't a woman, they shouldn't pretend like they are or aspire to be such. These men don't want to be women. They don't want to cut off their wang and prance around like they're full of estrogen. Some people do, but they are inevitably people who have much larger issues than wanting to put a dress on once a week (talk to any psychologist about that one).

I think pretending is harmless as long as the imagination doesn't spill over into real life. For the drag queens, they are out to pretend for our enjoyment, and they succeed immeasurably. If you've never been to a drag show, it's worth it just for the experience. If you're worried about being groped or man-handled in a gay bar, then you've obviously never been to one. We gay folk are they type that only grab when grabbed first (but grab with caution, because when that dam breaks... hoo boy). The next time you have even the slightest inclination to experience crazy female impersonators, do it. If nothing else, you'll be thoroughly entertained for one-and-a-half hours.