Dragulation

I'm a fairly "masculine" queer,
but there are just days like today
when my flame is on full blast and can't help it.
So allow me to take this to talk about an obsession of mines: drag queens.

As a young gay, I didn't know how to take drag queens.
A guy in pumps alone threw me off.
That was until I watched Paris is Burning for a class
the last month of my senior year in high school.
If you've never seen this documentary
on late 1980s drag culture in New York City,
put it on your list.
To say it will give you life is an understatement.

Seeing those black and latino drag queens
sashay and suicide drop in the ball scene
intrigued me like no other.
It showed me that drag queens aren't that different from us "regular" gays.
However, I still kind of kept my distance from them.

It wasn't until the 2nd season of RuPaul's Drag Race
that I rediscovered my love for drag queens.

I remembered RuPaul from the 90s,
but I didn't know what to make of him/her.
I was much more into Arsenio at the time.
It still blows me, however,
that his first name is actually RuPaul.
With a name like that, he was bound to be fabulous.

So why do I appreciate RuPaul and the contestants of Drag Race so much?
I think it's the abrasive nature and genuineness.
They all know who they are, for the most part,
and they refuse to apologize for it.
They have the Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent that I yearn to embody myself.

I also think their transformation intrigues me.
You can watch a busted man turn into a beautiful woman before your eyes
through the magic of paint (make-up) and fabulous gowns.

It almost pains me that I haven't met a drag queen in person yet.
I've seen plenty on youtube,
and they're just a fierce as those on Drag Race.
I can only image how catty a day with them would be,
in or out of drag.

Secretly, I want to try being a queen myself.
I was this close to doing it last Halloween,
but I lacked the support and materials to do so.
Maybe one day I'll shave down to a baby face,
get some strong foundation,
find a sickening lace front
and a marvelous ensemble
and slay all these other girls in the game.
Until then, I'll just enjoy being the trade that ki-kis on the low.
Word.

As an added bonus, enjoy this "lip sync for your life" from season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race. [warning: spoiler}