DRAG KINGS Janna Gomez

Project #3

I’VE HEARD OF A DRAG QUEEN BUT….

New York City Pride Festival Summer 2007Janna Gomez

WHAT’S A DRAG KING? In the film, a Drag King is

described as a person who wants gender euphoria, and has accepted their female masculinity.

It is also described as “female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of the performance” (Halberstam 230).

Venus Boyz screen snapshot

WHY BE A DRAG KING? Drag Kings appreciate

the transition from female to male.

Most admit they don’t want to be completely or permanently male.

Drag Kings find portraying a male exhilarating and erotic.

They enjoy their alter ego as a man.

Venus Boyz, screen snapshot

WHAT MAKES BEING A DRAG KING APPEALING? Drag Kings have the ability to portray a

female or male role at any point in time. Drag Kings feel more credible as a male. When dressed as a male, society treats

them with more respect. Upon entering a room as a male, they

are not examined and analyzed based on sexiness, age, and social class – there is a feeling of invisibility when portraying a male.

WHAT MAKES BEING A DRAG KING APPEALING? (CONT.)

Aggressive, and hostile characteristics are more socially accepted in males than females.

Territory can be maintained as a male, instead of given up.

Smiles are not required as a man. Other males in society quickly relate to

the drag kings.

HOW DO THEY FEEL AS A MALE? As a male they are

withdrawn. Their presence feels bold,

large, confident, and in charge.

Every step they take and the space they occupy has ownership.

The Drag Kings don’t feel obligated to be “pleasers,” and thus have a sense of independence.

Drag Kings feel a sense of power and privilege as a man.

Venus Boyz scree shot

HOW DO DRAG KINGS FEEL ABOUT THEIR FEMININE SIDE? Drag Kings report they do not

dislike their female body, nor do they want to alter their female figure or features.

Many like to show off their female body during a performance.

One woman likes to exhibit the female to male transition for the audience.

Most Drag Kings don’t want their inner man to takeover.

They don’t want to lose sight of their inner female or femininity.

Most Drag Kings still feel confirmed in femininity.

http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/Stonewall_Was_a_Riot!

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE FEMALE TO MALE TRANSFORMATION?

Drag Kings feel that along with their gender transition, their character also changes.

Some report being more open and comfortable dressed in drag.

The perception of society is different from being male compared to female.

Venus Boyz, Betsey Gallagher Venus Boyz, Betsey Gallagher

HOW DOES A DRAG KING SHOW WORK? Some Drag King contests

feature women on stage exhibiting their natural female masculinity.

Other Drag King shows feature females dressed in costumes or outfits that strongly exemplify the male gender.

Certain Drag King shows feature a full theatrical performance of women portraying male roles, as well as dressing the part.

Many of the theatrical drag kings perform on a regular basis, and are not limited to performing at contests. http://sfist.com/2007/08/17/drag_kings_now.php

FIVE FORMS OF MASCULINE PERFORMANCES AT DRAG KING CONTESTS

Butch Realness

Femme Pretender

Male mimicry

Fag Drag

Denaturalized Masculinity http://www.sfdragkingcontest.com/

BUTCH REALNESS Butch Realness consists of a

biological female who is convincing in her masculinity, which can include passing as a man based simply upon appearance.

This form is usually occupied by non-white drag kings.

Often times people question whether the contestants are truly women because their appearance as a male is so convincing.

Those who exemplify Butch Realness do not self-identify as Drag Kings.

Photo scanned from Female Masculinity

BUTCH REALNESS The appearance of Butch Realness is

quietly natural. Butch Realness is within the vague

boundary the separates the definitions of transgender and butch.

Masculinity isn’t assimilated into maleness, nor does it oppose it.

There is a disidentification from stereotyped masculinity which is in turn recycled into other forms of masculinity.

FEMME PRETENDER There is a disjunction

between their gender and biological sex, which is the basis for their gender act, and oozes with irony.

Masculine physical features are deliberately exaggerated.

Their performance focuses on femininity by dressing butch to exemplify their female gender.

http://www.dckings.com/King_Bios/BonaFyde.html

FEMME PRETENDER The performances of a

femme pretender capitalize on the idea of appearance as an illusion.

The presence of a Femme Pretender is clearly theatrical and parodical.

They often unmask their male cover by performing a classic strip tease to expose their female body.

Venus Boyz screen shot

MALE MIMICRY

Male Mimicry reproduces a clear identifiable form of male masculinity.

This creation of masculinity can be ironic or not.

Male mimics explore another identity by portraying behavior and physical features of a man.

Male mimics make it clear they do not want to be a man, they simply want to pass as a male.

Photo from: http://www.dianetorr.com/drag%20king/frameset5.htm

FAG DRAG Gay male masculinity is

imitated by the Drag Kings. Some lesbians base their

masculine performance and sex-play on gay male models.

The imitations portrayed are usually based on identified individuals that have a constructed character.

The gay male “look” is portrayed with handle bar mustaches, leather attire, and hypermasculinity.

DENATURALIZED MASCULINITY

Denaturalized Masculine women exemplify butch characteristics.

Drag Kings represent “appropriation, critique, and alternative masculinity” (Halberstam 253) in their presentation.

There is a clear demonstration of misogyny and masculinity being structurally bound.

In their stage performances, Drag Kings suggest the logic of the unnatural, whereby gender functions are learned, then performed.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE SHOW?

Some Drag King contestants return to their usual lesbian clubs and bars.

Some Drag Kings only perform for contests or special events, while others perform full-time, or on a regular basis.

Some return to more feminine attire, but still exemplify female masculinity.

For some, female masculinity is a part of their identity, with or without men’s clothing.

A DRAG KING IS DIFFERENT FROM… …a Drag Butch and/or a male impersonator. Male impersonations are a theatrical genre,

where the impersonator attempts to produce a believable performance of maleness.

Drag Butch consists of masculine women dressed as men to express

quotidian gender. Drag Kings and Male Impersonators are not necessarily lesbians, whereas

Drag Butches are lesbians.

Photo from Masculinity and Performance

DRAG KINGS ARE ALSO DIFFERENT FROM BUTCH

“Butch” is characterized as masculinity being central to the identity of the woman.

The exemplification of “butch” is composed of feminine and masculine traits, characteristics, style, behavior, expression, and self-perception.

Scene from Fried Green Tomatoes (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3038940672/tt0101921)

WHAT DRAG KINGS ARE NOT

They are not cross-dressers because their male attire is worn for performances and not a part of their daily identity attire.

Each Drag King identifies differently, therefore they are not specifically lesbians, transexuals, “monosexuals”,

or “omnisexuals”.

http://skipthemakeup.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

HOW DO DRAG KINGS IDENTIFY THEMSELVES OUTSIDE THE THEATRE? Drag Kings identify as females, males, or neither. They also identify themselves as mothers, wives,

and partners. Some identify as lesbians, and others as

transexuals. Some don’t identify as male, female,

lesbian, transgender, etc at all.

Snap shot photos from Venus Boyz

DRAG KING BELIEFS Gender is performance and

much more. Drag King performers enter

genders that have been socially constructed and established. Females can successfully

make the transition to a male. This makes the male gender

less sacred. The definition of gender and

sex are defined by society, and varies between individuals.

Drag Kings can express their inner masculinity and just be themselves.

http://www.genders.org/g29/g29_halberstam.html

RESOURCES

Drag Kings. 2010. Wikipedia. 14 Dec. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_king>.

Halberstam, J. Drag Kings: Masculinity and Performance 1998 p231-66

Venus Boyz. Dir Gabrielle Baur. Perf. Diane Torr1, and Del La Grace Volcano. Clocktower Productions., 2002.