Steal Well: Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Club Queen World

Abstract

I’ve been dressing up in drag for years. But, in reality, I’m a cultural tourist. Sure, I’m an “out-of-the-closet” gay man, but I most often dress like a girl when I’m tired of playing the part of author, playwright or political activist. My boyfriend and I often appear at openings and book launches in drag together. It’s a great way to avoid the social pressures that are required of us when we dress as men. We can flirt like crazy (with little consequence) and refuse to respond to comments about anything except fashion and sex. On occasion, I am paid to dress up in drag and play a part in a play, or read from my poetry. Again, I gladly do it. And for years, I assumed that my forays into drag for fun and performance were similar to the experiences of (what we in the gay community call) “club” queens. But the professional theatre scene and the club scene are two very different worlds. Club queens are the drag queens who perform in the gay bars.