Drag queen
A performer who exaggerates female gender signifiers for entertainment.
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men and have been a part of gay culture. People do drag for reasons ranging from self-expression to mainstream performance, and drag shows frequently include lip-syncing, live singing, and dancing, typically occurring at LGBTQ pride parades, drag pageants, cabarets, carnivals, and nightclubs.
- field
- Performance art, LGBTQ culture
- known_for
- Cross-dressing performance, exaggeration of female gender signifiers
- related_terms
- Drag king, female impersonator, drag artist
Lore & Background
The term drag queen first emerged in New York City in the 1950s, with two original meanings: an amateur performer who did not make a living in drag, and a man who chose to wear women's clothing on the streets, an act then illegal in New York City. The term was layered with transphobic subtext and used to protect professional female impersonators from association with queer culture and sex workers. In 1971, an article described a drag queen as a 'homosexual transvestite' who is hyperfeminine, flamboyant, and militant.
Reader's Guide
Drag queens have been a significant part of gay culture and LGBTQ history, serving as both entertainment and a form of self-expression. The term has evolved over time, originally distinguishing amateur performers from professional female impersonators and from those who wore women's clothing on the streets. Drag queens have faced legal challenges, as female impersonation was illegal in some places, inspiring figures like José Sarria to hand out labels reading 'I am a boy' to avoid accusations. In modern times, cisgender and trans women, as well as non-binary people, also perform as drag queens, expanding the art form beyond its historical association with gay cisgender men.
Did You Know?
- In 1972, Esther Newton described a female impersonator as a 'professional drag queen'.
- RuPaul has said, 'I don't dress like a woman; I dress like a drag queen!'
- Cisgender female drag queens are sometimes called faux queens or bioqueens.
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