I don’t know much about drag queens but I have been looking at some of them on youtube, and they are fantastic.
Three of the best are Gigi Monroe, Rupaul, and Victoria DePaula. But there are many more very talented performers. There dress, makeup, and dance routines are very good.
If I could start again I would love to have made a living that way.
So what do you girls think of them?
SUZY
I think most of the good ones are very entertaining! But, unfortunately they do somewhat belittle those of us who crossdress simply because we like to. That aspect of Drag Queens I do not like! I have no desire to be a woman, just to wear their clothes. So I would never want to be a Drag Queen!
Stephanie
Lady on the outside, but man underneath!
There are some very good acts out there, but unlike the majority of us who try to look realisticly like women, they go for a much more OTT look.
Mind you I guess if I could get paid for it, I would too.
Never seen an ACT. But I saw part of the Ru Paul television show, "Drag Race".
I thought it was just a little grotesque. And it certainly doesn't seem to be an easy way to earn a living.
Stephie
Actually, most drag queens are gay men who work as impersonators. There are exceptions of course. They do not desire to be women, and dont dress outside of performances, and other places where they are expected to be 'drag'. There are a few of 'us' that do drag performing, as are there a few hetero queens. But they are definitely in the minority. Drag is an art form, and a profession for most. It is not a lifestyle as our dressing is for many of us.
I associate with several drag queens, and go to a club that is owned by, and frequented by, drag queens. So I have had a chance to observe and converse, so as to better understand.
I guess I havent experienced the poking fun at CD's from DQ's. But as I present myself as TG may be the reason. I have received nothing but help, praise, and support from the DQs I have met here in the Seattle area.
A dear friend is a drag queen and she's having a ball at 65yrs young. We had a drag show in our student union of my university a couple weeks ago, and even though I was going to be out of town I stopped and talk to a couple the day before.
It's entertainment and can be fun also. Not only that but they are goooooooooood looking to boot. MHO Teri
Drag Queens are amazing performers and I stand in awe at the illusion the best of them bring to the stage. There are also the drag queens who go with the over the top kabuki style makeup to make a caricature of women, exaggerating some of the things that crossdressers attempt to mimic. I personally don't know any drag queens who dress en femme for anything other than shows. That's not to say they don't exist, I just don't know them. It seems in general the goals a drag queen strives for are different from those held by a crossdresser.
While I don't have anything but respect for them, I regret that their great visibility creates the standard for crossdressers in the eyes of the general public. It's an education thing I guess. More power to them, regardless.
Sarah
Being transgender isn't a lifestyle choice. How you deal with it is.
They are doing what they enjoy doing and i have no problem with that and they are getting paid for it , a winner all round.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Joanne
It all depends if they are a good entertainer or not. There are many bad acts out there. One thing that really taints my enjoyment is when they try to act bitchy or swear... it just ruins the illusion. I think it could be fun to be in a drag act, but I'm not a good actor. I'll just stick to real-life drag on halloween.
Chickie
I think drag queens are fun and entertaining, but in line with what the other girls said, they are purely entertainment and not exactly a good representative of the transgender community.
Since they're more exposed to in the media (i.e. Rupal's "Drag Race") people get that impression that anyone who's dressed in women's clothes are drag queens and freak shows because of what they see on TV, the movies, Internet, etc, etc.
Whenever I am out in public, I don't try to be outlandishly or mockly feminine like how Rupal is because that's not how GG's are naturally. I do my best to be proper in order to break that image which the general public is typically exposed to by the Rupals of the world.
Hugs!
Last edited by joann07; 04-30-2010 at 03:36 PM.
JoAnn
I love to see a beautiful woman in a nice dress, but then again, I also want to wear that dress.
I love them. And I think drag queens are part of the reason some of us GGs have no problem with crossdressers. Yes, drag queens and crossdressers are different; but for many of us, drag queens are the first "men in dresses" we ever saw, and hopefully they made a good impression.
Well it all depends on the style of drag they are doing. Here in San Jose I'd say its more of female impersonation. in the SF area I see more trans folks doing the shows then what you would call a traditional drag queen. When they do some thing over the top its because the female they are impersonating is going over the top, such as some of the stuff cher, Aretha Franklin did .
Business is the the art of extracting money from another mans wallet with out resorting to violence
9 out of 10 Dr say I'm sane. The 10th one never made it to the hearing. Did you know that California has drop bears ?
First a groom then a bride. Never again.
I have to agree with the minority here, I LOVE THEM !, They are entertainers first and formost. I love the over the top artistic displays. Seeing them perform is like having Cher,a parade, a fashion show all rolled into one .
Kelly
I'm fine with them from the perspective that it's just entertainment.
What bothers me is that society equates drag queen with crossdresser, and both suffer for the equating.
The women in the show "Transform Me!" on VH1 are probably termed as drag queens by most people who see the show, but they aren't. They are TG individuals who are being themselves. They also look great.
I saw a news article about a drag queen show recently, and early on in the article it talked of the performers trying to act and look feminine. Sorry, but I don't see it at all. Drag queens are aiming for a certain level of being over the top. What they present as is nothing like what we see in society in any respect. They aren't trying to be viewed as women. They're trying to be viewed as drag queens. Drag queens are the antithesis of most crossdressers out and about in society. Drag queens are "hey look at me!" whereas most crossdressers are just trying to pass, be treated as a regular person, be mostly overlooked.
As performance art, drag queen shows are great. I just wish society didn't equate it with crossdressing.
As I said earlier a friend of mine is a drag queen, a couple times a week, but she is also a transwoman the rest of the time. The thing is not all drag queens are men dressed as outlandish and provocative women, some are women. I see it as Kelly put it; it is like watching Cher or some other entertainer that goes beyond what would be more traditional attire. Madonna to name another.
Teri
I think they rock, hell wish I was one.
I love a good DQ show most DQs are fun and enjoy poking fun at all in a good natured way at least that is how I see it. Some are over the top but that is OK they are having fun and entertaining Some can pass so well they get taken for the real thing in a DQ bar.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Sallee
Don't like 'em. I find 'em not funny, not entertaining, and painful and embarrassing to watch.
That said, the golden age of female impersonation however is a wonderful thing, with people like Jim Bailey from years ago and even Charles Busch from today.
I guess I see one as being dignified and the other not. I can't imagine that Jim Bailey would have ever done anything on-stage even remotely obscene. I can't say that for the stars of the drag queen scene.
Huggles
Toni-Lynn
--I'm TN (transnationalist) - a Canadian born in an American's body! I stand on guard for thee!
Like most performance art there is some good ones and not so good ones. I haven't seen many shows, but have seen one really good show at Montreal's Gay Pride celebration last year, and another one that wasn't so great that was closer to a strip show than drag performance. Coming out to people I have been equated to DQ and usually am quick to point out the differences.
Me and a bunch of friends are going to a show tonight, all of them know I am TS and most have already seen my female presentation, but I am not FT yet. Should be fun. Another good thing about DQ shows is that they are very trans friendly.
Jenna!
I like most drag acts I see videos of, but the best one's in my opinion are the celebrity impersonators, some of them are uncanny!
Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece...
[SIZE="2"]They’re a drag. IMHO, and way too flamboyant for me, I’m afraid. If real women were up on stage, dancing, singing and making a lot of noise, I would be equally repelled, but that's just me. Perhaps I should explain that drag, queen, and act have nothing to do with my own personal version of crossdressing. Being able to pass, being quiet and reserved, and not drawing any undue attention are the parameters I live by. As such, it’s impossible for me to enjoy, or even watch, a drag show. It’s just too exaggerated. I could never be a drag queen, nor could I be a politician…Originally Posted by suzy1
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I am not a fan of drag queens. I don't particularly dislike them, but all too often we're mistaken for drag queens and vice versa. From my understanding, though there are the transgendered interested in the sex of their birth as a partner, drag queens are particularly gay men putting on a show and it does not reflect them on the inside. If someone is transgendered, they are not a drag queen (unless they're perhaps an FTM who then crossdresses as a woman for a show).
It is, unfortunately, much of the LGB communities understanding of T.
A friend-of-a-friend of mine is a drag queen, AND transgendered and transitioning. It's not impossible.
I see a major difference between a drag queen and a female impersonator. To my experience, drag queens go for OTT flamboyant even clownish appearance whereas FIs go for a much more realistic appearance and decorum.
Look at the difference in the queens in "Priscilla, QOTD" and "Too Wong Foo..." Even though both groups are referred to as drag queens, I would definitley pay to see ChiChi and Vita. They appear quite realistic although somewhat romanticized. (both were pretty hot actually) Not so much Noxema and NONE of the Priscilla crew.
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