Drag Queens vs. Transgenders?
Who would think that there would be such tension — and some say animosity — between some drag queens and male to female transgenders? According to Zack Ford in Think Progress, June 25, (See today’s TWIT for a link to the article.) there is a “quiet clash” between drag queens and some transgenders.
Ford describes this “clash” as it played out in RuPaul’s Drag Race Show. A reality competition show where the “hook” is the search for America’s next drag superstar. This included a so-called mini-game: Female or She-male? One needs to guess whether the person in a picture is a drag queen (a.k.a. a cisgender) or is it a photo of a male to female transgender (a.k.a. known to some as “shemales”).
Allegedly, many transgender activists were upset by the word shemale. It is said that GLADD is also upset by this term because it is dehumanizing. Apparently, no one finds the term cisgender for the representation of drag queens offensive. Is that a bit biased?
Nonetheless, it is such a shame, because it was drag queens who played a significant part, with gay men, during the infamous “Stonewall Riots” in the summer of 1969. Both drag queens and gay men were being pulled out of gay bars, like NYC’s Stonewall Inn, and beaten in the streets by police officers who used their sticks to beat innocent men who had no weapons or any other way to defend themselves. Their “crime” was that they just enjoyed and loved other men or loved to “dress in drag” or crossdress.
It ended up being such a significant year! After all, it was the summer of the moon landing, Woodstock, and the civil rights movement was in bloom. Forty-five years later, many celebrated the anniversary of the riots on June 28th that ultimately launched a major movement that went from the east coast to the west coast — protecting drag queens’ rights & gay rights, etc. Hence, many organizations — like GLADD — were created because of the major sacrifices others made before them. The Stonewall Riots helped to change the country and the world at large.
The GLBT & GLADD should celebrate all over the country for the advancements that have made — and be grateful for the support they receive from drag queens. They too stood up for gay rights during the largest gender based riot in NYC and perhaps all over the USA.
Drag queens and transgenders will not become stronger if they divide themselves and moreover divide their common interests. They need each other’s support. After all, both groups are such a small percentage of the population . . . splitting up their camps will not serve either group very well.
Yes, there is a difference between drag queens and male to female transgenders. Most drag queens, approximately 85%, are NOT gay and dress for entertainment purposes. Transgenders claim to have feelings of being the opposite sex, “trapped” in the wrong body. So, what’s the real problem? Or is it really about which one appears more as a woman? Many have disclosed that passing as a “real woman” is an important factor to both drag queens and male to female transgenders. Are they jealous over each other’s looks?
Both sides, drag queens as well as transgenders have something to lose if this “quiet clash” continues. Respect each other. Whether you really comprehend the big picture — both sides are fighting the same big battle, to be respected for who they are.
However, The Gay Metropolis by Charles Kaiser clearly states that the infamous Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village were “sparked by drag queens.” See more here.
Thank the drag queens and the gay men for leading the way at the Stone Wall Inn Riots! Both groups, let’s say, are in the same “high heels.”
Dee A Levy, MA
The Cross Dresser’s Wives Our Secret Lives
Category: Transgender Opinion