It is important to remember that if it were not for those flamboyant drag queens standing tall and proud, there would be no gay rights to enjoy.
LGBT members are a mixed bunch. They come from all kinds of professions and walks of life, from doctors and lawyers to football players, cops and teachers. Gay people have been a part of society for as long as there was a society to be a part of, though for many years, gays who had certain jobs, kept it secret, because not to do so could cost you that job. I am certainly not slamming anyone for not coming out, when their job was at stake.
Still, it was those who stood up and was counted, that mattered and who were the ones who moved gay rights forward. In fact, queens were the main people who got gays recognized in the first place, way back at Stone Wall Inn, a gay bar that was constantly harassed by cops.
Now being around the gay community for many years, I have heard many gays put down queens as being a bad front for the gay community. However, there would be no front at all if it were not for the queens. Gay men would still be hiding in the shadows to meet other gay men if it were not for drag queens standing out proud and unashamed.
It is true that there was a time in my life that I did a little drag myself. I loved the stage and doing drag gave me that opportunity. I do not suppose I was that good at it, though I have met some very talented drag queens in my day. They can be a vicious bunch to each other at times, but when it comes to their gayness, drag queens stand taller than the rest – and believe me, some are actually really tall.
Do not let me forget those butch lesbians – which I have had so many wonderful friends, strong and beautiful women in their own right – who also did their own kind of drag; they also were a part of the gay community not afraid to stand up along with the drag queens, and be counted.
Drag shows are one of the highlights of the gay scene and many straights love to go to gay bars just to see those shows. A gay pride parade would not be the same without the presence of drag queens dressed to the hilt, or even wearing very little. Certainly, some like to be called female impersonators, and there are some famous ones, such as Jim Bailey, who really did impersonate famous females, such as Judy Garland – which I saw him do one night in L.A. at the Backlot of Studio One, many years ago – and Barbra Streisand. There was also Charles Pierce, who impersonated Carol Channing, Betty Davis to name just a couple, who was more of a comedy act. Of course, most of us know who RuPaul is, who has become one of the most famous drag queens of all time, with her own drag show on Logo – “Lip Sync for your life!”.
There are many, many more, especially since I have not been a part of the scene in such a long time. I have met hundreds though, throughout my gay life and they are some of the most colorful people I have ever met.
Drag queens also know what it is like to be gay bashed more than any other gay group of people. It takes a lot of courage to put on a wig and a dress and let the world know you are gay and proud of it. I also know some drag queens that will kick your butt, so never take the way they are dressed for granted. Some drag queens dress up to be beautiful and some dress up just because they love to dress up and be campy.
Some drag queens are actually transgender but most are not, and there is a difference. Transgender is not about sexuality but about the body one is born with. Transgender people most likely are comfortable with the gay community because they are accepted within that community more than anywhere else, but they are not the same. I have met transgender people who were heterosexual, so there is a difference.
For many gays, it is important for them to fit into straight society, so acting straight is a big part of it. That is great and it is good thing that the straight world understands there are many LGBT members who are no different from anyone else as far as the way they act and dress.
However, it is also important to know that when many of those straight acting gays were still locked in a closet, afraid to put their careers and their lives on the line for their communities, drag queens were out there standing up for our rights. They took beatings from homophobes and the police and they were kicked out and rejected from their families. So as we move forward with gay rights, never let us forget our past and those who made it so, by putting on a wig and a dress.
This is a republish from my website: Fidlerten Place