Let me start this piece by claiming that I, along with many other people, have oodles of free time on my hands. Over the past two or three months, my mother and I have obsessively (but proudly) binge watched a certain show some of you may know — "RuPaul's Drag Race." For those of you who don’t know the show, it’s a competition where drag queens — men who dress in drag in order to impersonate women — fight for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.
There we were, mother and daughter, watching the first episode of season two (if you’re wondering why we didn’t start with season one, it’s considered the “lost season”), and before we knew what was happening, we were hooked. We rushed through season two, and by the middle of April, my mother and I had finished all the available seasons and were caught up through season eight, the most recent to air. Having become so obsessed with this brilliant reality show, I had been checking to see if there were any local drag shows in New York City, and to my complete and utter surprise I found one. But this wasn’t any normal drag show; no, this drag show was the “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons 2016 Extravaganza Tour."
When my eyes landed on the link for the event, I couldn’t contain my excited squeal. I turned to my mother in the driver’s seat and my roommate in the backseat (while on our way home from an outing) and just started to say, “Mom, Mom, Mom,” over and over again. Finally, after catching my breath, I told them of my discovery, causing my mom to yell at the top of her lungs, “Buy those tickets right now, Julie." She didn’t need to tell me twice. My fingers couldn’t tap my phone screen fast enough.
A week later on Wed. May 25, my mother and I were at the Playstation Theater in NYC, holding our breath as we waited for our queens. This special event, along with RuPaul’s TV show, widened my eyes, my mind and my heart, and I want to share my experience with the rest of the world.
The show was hosted by the beautiful and talented Michelle Visage, RuPaul’s confidant and trusted judge on the show. The line-up for the night’s entertainment featured drag queens from seasons three through seven: Manila Luzon, Alaska 5000, Adore Delano, Courtney Act, Pearl (who DJ’ed the event), Ginger Minj, Katya Zamolodchikova and Miss Fame. As if this weren't amazing on its own, we and the crowd were also graced by the presence of past champions: season four’s scarily unique Sharon Needles, season five’s quirky yet classy Jinkx Monsoon and, lastly, season seven’s sultry, fashion-forward Violet Chachki (the youngest winner in drag herstory).
The “Extravaganza” didn’t live up to my expectations…it exceeded them. Blew them straight out of the water. The queens didn’t just perform lip-sync battles against each other as was expected. No, each queen had prepared a lip-sync or a live song — you wouldn’t believe the pipes on some of the girls — and an entire choreographed dance number. Along with each of these breathtaking performances, the crowd was surprised by and treated to the performance of the classic "Rocky Horror Picture Show" number, “The Time Warp," which was acted out by Michelle Visage as Magenta, Alaska 5000 as Riff Raff, Sharon Needles as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Courtney Act as Janet. It was unbelievable, and it made me dance like crazy, which my mom could not believe because I don't dance. But I didn’t care. In the presence of these remarkable queens, one cannot help but be infected by the positive I-don’t-give-a-damn-what-people-think-of-me energy; one cannot control the smile growing bigger and bigger until their face hurts.
That positive energy, that uncontrollable smile is the reason I am writing this piece. It’s one thing to watch these queens on TV and tell people how great these individuals are, but it’s almost impossible to describe the experience of seeing them in person with your own eyes. There are no words to describe the inspiration and admiration I was feeling that night.
These queens: Pearl, Jinkx, Ginger, Courtney, Adore, all of them at the event are some of the most incredible people I have ever seen. Many people look at drag queens and think they’re all jokes or freaks. Some people think drag queens just put on a dress and tell lame jokes to make some money. They couldn't be more wrong.
Queens are not freaks. Drag is not a joke — it is an art form. They are entertainers that have given everything they have to bring comedy and positivity to the world. Hearing about their lives and the challenges that shaped them brings tears to my eyes while breaking my heart. As children, some queens were abused by their parents for being gay, they were bullied in school for being too “feminine," some queens were never able to come out for fear of being cast out and shunned and some were never able to share their drag persona with the people closest to them. Many queens started out spending their nights in their bedrooms, getting in drag and practicing into the early hours of the day. And some queens have been homeless — they spend their money, time and resources to bring their passions to life and to give back to their community.
Being a drag queen is not easy. Growing from experiences and learning to love who they are takes a hell of a lot of work for anyone — it’s double the work for drag queens, not to mention courage. Not only do queens have to spend years learning to hold their heads high; they also have to spend hours and hours educating themselves on make-up, bald-cap and wig application, cinching their waists, tucking (ouch!) and walking in five inch heels while performing (I can barely walk in kitten heels). After that process, they get up on stage, under those hot as hell lights and make us laugh. So, no, it’s not easy being a drag queen. But that doesn’t stop them because, as RuPaul himself says, it takes “Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent." Drag queens do drag because it is their life and passion. They love bringing smiles to faces and deep belly laughs from their crowds. Most queens couldn’t live their lives if they weren’t allowed to express themselves artistically. It’s who they are, and there’s nothing wrong with that. They have learned to love themselves and others, and there is nothing more beautiful.
This is the true meaning behind drag in my opinion. It’s about pushing through the tough times, staying strong in the face of adversity, and learning to be fearless when confronted with struggle. After attending the “Extravaganza” event, I can truly say I feel stronger, more confident in myself, and more hopeful about the mysteries the future holds for me. Because being a drag queen means you never quit, and when you’ve fallen down, all you have to do is push yourself up in those 6-inch stilettos and brush off the glitter. And as the inspirational Jinkx Monsoon says, the rest is all “water off a duck’s back."
