Running head: DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Drag Queens: Who Are You?

Rachel Pulver

Arizona State University Downtown Campus

DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Abstract

Primary research was conducted and collected on the sole purpose of understanding the

raw and unbiased dimensions of the Drag Queen community. During the duration of the primary

research, the topic of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) culture was

also investigated and taken into consideration during the process of the primary inquiry. The

main resources were collected directly from the Rainbow Festival which is one of the biggest

gay pride festivals in Arizona. Interviews, observations, and interactions were gathered from this

event as vital primary resources. Several interviews were conducted with individuals who were

starting out with drag to those who were experts in the field. In addition, primary resources were

collected from a first-hand experience of a drag show. Recordings of the festival’s sounds and

overall aesthetic of the atmosphere were taken. Outside of the Rainbow Festival, a phone

interview was facilitated with a Drag Queen in California. The overlining purpose of conducting

the following research was to dismiss stereotypes and help the world to understand the beautiful

complexity of the people who take part in the community of Drag Queens.

Keywords​: LGBTQ, Drag Queens, and community

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Drag Queens: Who Are You?

Section 1, Question Bank

The purpose of this research was to identify what factors encompass a Drag Queen

emotionally, psychologically, intellectually, and the unique idiosyncrasies that people can not see

on the outside. I have had no extensive connection to this particular community beforehand, so

my hopes for the results to gather from the primary research is to reveal the heart and soul of the

individuals that I will be interviewing from an objective viewpoint. Being able to do so will give

me an exclusive insight on their personal experiences of the drag world. Some general questions

I asked during my interviews were how do you identify yourself, what are the beliefs in this

community, how did your family react to you being gay or doing drag, who are you, how do

people react to you as a Drag Queen, what are some important objects or artifacts as a Drag

Queen, how do you connect to your audience, etc. A few central questions from the primary

research were what was your first event like, who influenced you, how has drag changed you

before you did it and after, how do you feel drag plays a role in society, how do you differentiate

your normal life from your drag life, what do you believe, etc.
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Section 2, Sites of Inquiry

Sites of Inquiry Contact / Location Dates / Times

The Rainbow Festival in Heritage Square Park Attended (10/20)

Phoenix, AZ. The second 113 N. 6th St. Phoenix, AZ 11:00am-3:00pm
biggest gay pride celebration 85004
in Arizona

Drag Show The Rainbow Festival Attended (10/20)

12:00pm-1:00pm
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Section 3, Inquiring into Objects /Artifacts

Part 1, Summarize the experience, including responses and notes (~200 words):

Wigs, makeup, clothing and music choice, I found from observations and through

personal interactions, were considered to be significant objects that are used universally among

the Drag Queen community. These objects are more than just tangible, mundane objects, because

when in the hands of a Drag Queen, these objects unleashed powers that transform a Drag Queen

and the environment that they’re a part of. I noticed from observations and multiple interviews

that drag, without a doubt, falls under the category of an expressive art form. These artifacts give

them the means to flourish in their own creativity.

During my observations of various drag shows, I came to understand how crucial these

objects were and how they were all connected together as if they were wires in a circuit board.

These objects empowered the artists and gave life to their persona who they were embodying

during their performance on stage. Every aspect of their drag persona reflected their dreams,

inhibitions, fears, and emotions, and without the aid of their tools they would not have been able

to express themselves to the audience and to themselves on a personal level.

Their makeup, wig, and clothing gives them the opportunity to become something new in

the world that they create for themselves in the drag community. Their music choice is a method

of being able to tell a story through their body. Depending on the music chosen, the Drag Queen

is also able to set a mood with the audience and cultivate a particular reaction. The artifacts

observed were bright, whimsical, vintage, cheesy, trashy, beautiful, elegant, crazy, particular,

dark, saturated, delicate, lovely, odd, and then some.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

1. “Wig: certainly, because of my name’s sake, Rosie Bush. I gotta have a red wig…

Makeup: but it doesn’t have to be good makeup as long as you know how to use it.”

Rosie Bush gives significance to this quote by showing how important her wig and

makeup truly is for creating her drag persona.

2. “You can be someone who you have been scared to be.” This quote taken from Takenya

Breathaway shows how powerful drag can be to an individual. This inferes the

empowering effects that the key objects have for the Queen that was discussed

previously.

3. “I would say overall, the big blanket over drag is hair.” G.G. Good explains that during

her time in drag, she has noticed that a Queen’s wig is a hot topic. G.G. Good also styles

and prepares wigs for other Queens along with herself and points out how insanely picky

other Queens are on how their wigs are presented and prepared for their next

performance.

4. One of the questions that I asked G.G. Good was, “What are your beliefs?” She

responded by saying, “Definitely the golden rule, treat others the way you want to be

treated, never wear a heel less than four inches, and never let your wig look like a wig.”

From this quote I was able to gather that their outward appearance concerning their wig

and extreme shoe wear choices do play a significant role in a Queen’s life.

5. “Makeup is a very sacred thing to a Drag Queens whether they know how to do it or they

don’t. A Drag Queen’s face tends to be very specific to that Drag Queen...if you pick a

Drag Queen out of a group of people and then you scroll through their Instagram the odds
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are they have the same type of face like the structure of their contour.” G.G. Good in this

quote explains the complexity of makeup that lingers over the Drag Queen community,

furthering my confirmations taken from my observations and interactions of the

community.

6. I conducted a personal interview with novice Drag Queen, Dr. Sheila, and found her

insights to be profound and beautiful. Dr. Sheila grew up in India and moved to America

by herself to pursue her PhD at a university in the state of Mississippi. As we were

talking she shared with me that her culture and heritage has an impact on her drag. She

dresses in traditional dresses, colors, and jewelry from India. I found this to be a notable

characteristic of Dr. Sheila’s drag. It showed to me how important and meaningful the

style of a Drag Queen is to her and it is more than the eye is capable of picking up.
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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

In order to properly obtain the necessary primary resources, I paid close attention to

every interaction I had contact with. Whether it was through interview questions with Drag

Queens, meticulous observations of first-hand experiences, extensive hand written notes,

informational footage taken of the primary sources, and sound recordings of the atmosphere

during the Rainbow Festival.

Due to this reason, I found that I was able to collect the appropriate volume of data for

my primary research based on the Drag Queen community. The data collected during the

duration of the Rainbow Festival revealed to me that drag is a creative form of entertainment and

art that has amorphous boundaries. There really is no single definition that constitutes what drag

means, but I was able to identify what objects and artifacts are universally used across the board

of the Drag Queen community. By putting all of my primary research together, I came up with a

list of several significant items including makeup, wigs, clothing, and choice of music. I felt that

these objects stood out as repetitive markers, showing up over and over again while in the midst

of the Rainbow Festival and in the process of collecting material.

Furthermore, the impact of said objects had a direct correlation with how the Drag

Queens performed on stage. For example, one of the Drag Queens by the name of Rosie Bush

performed a song in French. She had shoulder length, red wig paired with a knee length pink and

black lace dress with a rhythmic pattern going down the entirety of her dress. She carried herself

in a regal and elegant poise. While on the other hand, a Drag Queen by the name of Georgina

popped out on stage with enthusiastic dance steps that were tied to the beats of an up-tempo,

flashy song. Georgina wore a stark yellow, crimped wig. She wore a leotard with black and
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white checkered sleeves. Makeup, wigs, clothing, and choice of music influenced how the Drag

Queens would create their art form. These objects carry weight to them in how the Drag Queen

wishes to utilize them.

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Section 4, Inquiring into Place

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

When you hear the word Rainbow Festival you typically think of all the colors that make

up a rainbow in the sky: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, after a rainy day.

The LGBTQ culture is known to be represented by a rainbow flag with the colors of red, orange,

yellow, green, indigo, and violet. Red represents life, orange for healing, yellow encompasses

sunlight, green corresponds with nature, indigo exhibits serenity, and violet exemplifies spirit.

Recently some rainbow flags have been seen to carry the black and brown stripes representing

colored individuals in the LGBTQ culture.

After spending several hours at the Rainbow Festival, I agree that the rainbow flag is the

perfect symbolic representation of the LGBTQ culture and for the festival itself. There was an

all-consuming energy of acceptance and love surrounding the event and the people partaking in

it. Even though I have had no prior interaction with the LGBTQ culture beforehand, I felt as if I

was in a safe place among strangers who came from different walks of life. The Rainbow

Festival is the second largest gay pride event in the state of Arizona. People even brought their

pets to join in on the festivities of this momentous occasion.

All around the festival, lined up on both sides of the walkways, were colorful stalls being

hosted by various companies that were supporting the LGBTQ culture along with food and

beverage stands sporting alcoholic drinks for those 21 and older. Something that I was not

expecting to encounter at this festival were free condoms. In fact, a lot of items from the stands

being handed out to people were, free which surprised me. There were multiple clinics and
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outreach programs at the festival stressing the importance of safe sex and awareness of HIV.

While at each of these specific booths, I got a bag to fill up with their wide assortment of free

condoms. All together, the volume of condoms totaled around 30 that I collected. The workers at

the clinics and outreach programs invited everyone walking by to come and take as much as they

wanted. I was able to sit down with, A.J., the director of IGNITE Your Status which is an

outreach program devoted to informing the public about healthy sex and eliminating the stigmas

around HIV. During our interview, A.J. said, “Our mission is to go around and be open with

people and get them to be comfortable about safe sex. Talking about prevention whether that be

condoms, PREP which is a pill you take once a day to help prevent HIV or meeting them

wherever they are at […] we want to encourage them to take ownership and control over their

health and well-being and making sure they are taking the precautions to keep themselves

negative or undetectable.” A.J. also shared with me the reason behind his motivation for

pursuing the work that he does and his response to my question revealed to me that people of this

culture and community genuinely care for each other.

The Rainbow Festival was an event cultivated to put aside your negative differences and

instead rejoice in the ones that unite us as a whole. The atmosphere of the festival was one of

vibrancy and positivity. Everyone at the festival came to have a good time. One thing that I

picked up on during my activities throughout the event was that people of all ages attended the

different activities. You would have expected the older generation to be closed off to this culture,

but there was just as many older folks as everyone else. This just showed how far reaching the

LGBTQ’s message has spread by softening hearts and opening minds to the message of love and

acceptance. The Rainbow Festival stands for far more to the LGBTQ culture than I orignially
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thought when I began my research. The festival is a warrior’s cry meant to empower and

strengthen those that need love and compassion.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

7. People of all races, age, and gender were in attendance at the festival. This observation

struck me as interesting due to the fact that the LGBTQ culture has been a controversial

topic in the past concerning politics and religion. There was a huge turn out during the

Rainbow Festival.

8. The Rainbow Festival was an open environment that carried positive vibes. This was a

significant observation, because it showed me that the LGBTQ culture and the Drag

Queen community is a safe place among all people no matter your background.

9. “Here at the Rainbow Festival, it’s really nice to come to a place where you can be

yourself and be celebrated for our difference, but more importantly to look around and

consider everyone family.” This quote was said by Carnita Asada while she was hosting

the Drag Queen performances at the Rainbow Festival. This quote symbolizes the heart

and soul of the Rainbow Festival for the LGBTQ culture along with the Drag community.
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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

The main inquiry of my observations took place at the Rainbow Festival, the second

largest gay pride event held in Arizona. I collected my data by interacting with members of the

LGBTQ culture whether it be by conducting interviews or through casual conversations. During

my primary experience, I also took notes on the surroundings involved in the event such as the

types of booths, items being handed out, and messages said directly or subliminally through

words or with the overall aesthetic feel of the Rainbow Festival.

I was able to facilitate an interview with the director of IGNITE Your Status whose main

mission is to educate the masses on the awareness of safe sex and the meaning of HIV. A.J. told

me how IGNITE Your Status goes out to communities, gay bars, youth groups, and community

events such as the Rainbow Festival. This interview was an eye-opening moment for me. It

showed me that the LGBTQ culture only wants to heal and nurture the wounds of their fellow

neighbors. The message of love and acceptance was the single most important message that I

gained at the end of the gay pride festival.

To illustrate, there was a flyer being handed out to individuals with a biological man

dressed up in drag. She had sharp eyebrows, a multi colored wig, dark facial hair, and a vibrant

lip. She wore a black t-shirt and in all white capital letters, across her chest, was HIV POSITIVE.

Written at the top of the flyer was, “Uncover the Journey.” The rest of the information on the

flyer told the viewer that if they go to a specific social media handle, they would be able to share

and read stories about those who are going through HIV. This flyer reflects how the community

looks after those who are hurt and in need of support during dark times.
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Section 5, Inquiring into Activities/Events

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

Drag Queens in general, to me, pose a variety of questions and leave a trail of mystery

behind them. The viewer is only able to experience the Drag Queen’s facade during a

performance, but the audience has no clue about the emotional connotations that are attached to

drag. While observing the drag show, I came to notice how innately enthusiastic all of the Drag

Queens were during their moment on stage. Those few minutes liberated the Queen from

whatever was holding her down. In fact, in a few of my interviews, drag was compared to being

a liberating discipline for them.

Similarly, the audience’s experience plays a role in the way Drag Queens perform on

stage. The proper etiquette during a performance, for the audience, is to tip the Queens if you

connected with their art. Being able to tip a few dollars directly in the hands of a Queen as they

are dancing and lip syncing is an experience I cannot describe. It is a way of supporting and

rooting them on to follow their dreams. When the crowd loves a Queen’s performance, they go

crazy. You can’t help but to cheer them on. A Queen is able to control an environment and make

it whatever she wants through the birth of her art.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

10. When interviewing Dr. Sheila about how she felt about her first drag show, she said, “I

loved it.” This is significant to the research, because it shows that drag shows leave

Queens with a positive feeling.

11. “You put all of this emotional stuff in one moment [...] it was liberating.” Takenya

Breathaway spoke her truth about how performing on stage makes her feel. This quote is

a striking impression on the Drag Queen community, because the quote helps to express

to others the emotional connection the performance has on a Queen.

12. Several phrases taken from Takenya Breathaway when describing her drag experience

were, “Just be you; the world is too small.” She also added, “Be free.” During my

interview with her, she told me that performing on stage was a therapeutic experience.

These insights give a philosophical explanation on how the overlying experience of drag

can affect a person.

13. This quote was taken from Takenya Breathaway, “ I could be what I wanted and no one

could judge me.” This quote shows how utterly freeing drag shows are for Queens and

their overall influence.

14. I asked G.G. Good what was her overlying purpose for drag. “I just want to entertain and

inspire​—​that’s all I want to do. I don’t want to cause any drama. I’m not trying to

convince anyone of anything. I want to be admired and I want to inspire people.” This

quote is significant as to why they want to be a Drag Queen and perform at events.
DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

The performances of a drag show amongst the Drag Queen community is a

tremendously symbolic in the life of a Queen. A drag show embodies the entire being of

a Queen. Her emotions, her wishes, her fears, her secrets, her love, and hopes are all

wrapped up in a single moment on stage. It’s do or die. In a way, a drag show is a sacred

occasion in the world of drag. When I was interviewing G.G. Good, she said, she

dropped out of college, moved to L.A., and quit her day job in order to pursue drag full

time. G.G. Good’s life is literally eat, sleep, breathe drag. If that doesn’t show how

important the meaning of drag shows are to a Queen, then I don’t know what is.

Drag shows also have an air to them that holds a collection of finite possibilities.

It’s the excitement of anatomically and psychologically being able to experience the

Queen’s art, that she has prepared for the audience, which ignites an anticipation that

feeds both parties. I found that drag is a creative art form that facilitates the flow of

creativity. Before my first-hand experience with the community, I did not associate art

with the Drag Queen community, but that is exactly what it is.

These Drag Queens take a moment in the audience’s life and are capable of

transforming it into whatever they want to mold it into. I believe that all of these aspects

demonstrates how three dimensional the community of a Drag Queen can really be.

Queens are not this arbitrarily flat character with caked on makeup. They exhibit thought,

feeling, and intellectual meaning behind every event they perform for their audience.
DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

At the end of my inquiry, I found myself craving another experience of a drag

show. I spent the next three days rewatching videos from the drag show that I attended at

the Rainbow Festival. Rewatching the videos showed me in that moment, I was happy,

and when I think back on my prior experience, I smile. I know that I’m not the only

person who feels this way. Drag shows lift people up and give them a sense that they are

part of something bigger than themselves.

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Section 6, Inquiring into People/Person

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

The individuals, on whom I conducted my primary research, revealed an understanding

light on the topic of the drag community. Every Drag Queen who I talked to was surprisingly

open with me and genuinely wanted to talk to me. At the beginning of my inquiry I thought I

would be met with disdain and rejection, when asking to interview a Queen, but my

preconceived notions were proven wrong. The Drag Queens I talked to were sweet, funny, and

sensitive people who wanted to make a positive difference in their community along with other

communities. This spoke volumes on the characteristics of the LGBTQ culture which the Drag

Queen community is a part of.

The first Drag Queen I had an opportunity to interview was G.G. Good, her story was one

of perseverance and dream catching. When I asked her to tell me her drag story she began by

saying, “The first time I ever put myself in drag I was 13…I remember seeing RuPaul and

realizing his existence and being like oh my gosh, I’ve been putting makeup on myself for so

long. I didn’t even realize transforming myself from head to toe was even an option. I did that for

a couple years at midnight in my bedroom on a school night, because I could not tell my

parents.” G.G. Good went on to say that her first ever performance she did was in secret when

she was 15. Something that stood out to me during the interviewing was when she explained the

effects of her drag journey on the dynamic of her family circle. One question that I asked her
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was, how has your drag experience changed you and your relationships, “I think without drag I

wouldn’t have been able to express who I am and being able to do that with my family, it has

brought everyone together, because it has forced everyone to open up their minds a little and

understand one another not just with me. It’s made every member of my family sensitive to one

another.” G.G. Good also went on to say, that her mom is her biggest supporter and her two

older brothers are her biggest fans. G.G. Good goes on by saying, “It’s nothing but support

now,” but her family wasn’t like that in the beginning. It took some time and understanding on

both ends of the spectrum for her family to get to the place where they are now.

The only person in her family that doesn’t fully accept her drag is her father. G.G. Good

told me that her father is a professor at a Christian university and if anyone to this day found out

that her father had a gay son who did drag, he would get fired from his job. G.G. said, that her

father would hold this over her head. She further explained her relation with her father, “It’s

gotten to the point if I still lived at home, where I could get in drag in my bedroom and then

come down stairs, and leave the house and he would be able to look at me, and that is kind of all

I could ask for, I guess. Two years ago, my mom had to warn him that I was coming down the

stairs. He would have to get out of the room and wait until I had left before he could come back

and now I have a conversation with him in drag and that is a big, big step for him.” G.G. Good

had so much to say that gave light to his character and the Drag Queen community.

The second Drag Queen who I was able to listen to their story was Dr. Sheila, she grew

up in India has a kid and moved to America when she was 20 to further her education and gain
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her PhD at a university in Mississippi. Dr. Sheila is in the biomedical field and helps to conduct

research on chemotherapy. You would not have guessed that of Dr. Sheila, she had short

blue-pink hair and on the side of her nose was a silver piercing. She was rocking knee high boots

and shorts. She was very kind and understanding, where I was coming from when I asked her my

questions to further my knowledge about her life and her community. I asked her to tell me her

story about coming coming out to her family and she said. She had not told her family back in

India she is gay or even that she does drag. I asked her why not and she told me, India is a very

conservative place along with Mississippi and she knows that when she does it will not go

smoothly. Dr. Sheila went on to say how drag and the people now surrounding her have lifted

her up and helped her to accept the person who she really is. Dr. Sheila’s story had so many

layers to it that left me inspired and open minded to the different people all over the world.

The third Queen I interviewed was Takenya Breathaway. She was raised up in the south

and just recently moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and works at Chase Mortgage. During our

conversation, she told me that she just recently did her first drag show. She said it took her three

hours to do her makeup, but it was worth it. Takenya Breathaway also told me that people from

her work came to support her at her drag show. I found this to be interesting observation on how

others responded to her choice to participate in a drag show.

I wanted to touch on the topic with Takenya Breathaway about her story of coming out to

her family. She was 18 when she told her family. Her mother did not react well to this news and

she cut off all forms of communication for two years with her son. She also added that her
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mother’s side of the family has ties to the Ku Klux Klan. On the other hand, her aunt understood

her situation since she was lesbian and took him under her wing thereafter. Takeya Breathaway

pointed out that she was glad she tried out drag, because it was an experience she needed to have,

but she probably won’t continue. I enjoyed my time speaking with this beautiful Queen and

hearing her story.

The fourth Queen who gave me her time was Alexus Montoya, she screamed love and

compassion. All of the revenue collected for each and every drag show she does goes straight to

charity. She always gives it way. While talking to her it was evident that her craft was a devoted

form of community service. Alexus Montoya holds several titles in the LGBTQ culture based on

her standing. She told me that she helps to raise scholarship money for the LGBTQ community.

She has raised up to 35 to 45 thousand dollars in scholarship money for individuals of the

LGBTQ culture. Alexus Montoya is a talented, sweet hearted person.

The last interview I had was with two Queens by the name of Rosie Bush and Carnita

Asada. These two Queens bounced off of each other’s personalities and made the atmosphere

around them light and fun. Rosie Bush was a poised lady in pink and black lace, while Carnita

Asada was a funky fresh Queen dressed in neon colors. Carnita did not exhibit the normal

connotations of a Drag Queen’s appearance. Both of these Queens work very closely with

charitable organizations. Rosie Bush is a spokeswoman for Fierce Friends of Phoenix which

provides safe spaces and meetings for gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, transgender individuals

no matter who they may be. On the other hand,Carnita Asada is one of the personalities for
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Ripple PHX which is a nonprofit organization devoted to HIV education and prevention. She is

also part of the Queer Agenda and is on several committees geared toward the Phoenix Pride.

One question that I asked both of these Queens was to identify three main beliefs that

their community represents. Carnita Asada started off by saying, “We are resilient, we are strong,

but more importantly we are courageous.” Rosie Bush followed after by saying, “Creative,

resilient, and I’m going to use a word from the Simpson’s Family, ​embiggening​.” Both responses

showed the depth contained in the Drag Queen community as well as the LGBTQ culture.

In accordance to explore the inquiry’s purpose, a very important question was asked to

identify stereotypes in the drag community that needs to be revealed as myth. G.G. Good

responded to this question by pointing out,” Drag Queens are not strippers or whores. They’re

not trying to dance on a pole to an extent. Some Drag Queens that’s their thing. That was the

hardest thing to get out of my dad’s head…The masses need to realize that is not what drag

specifically is like.” To further my research Carnita Asada started off by saying, “Ever since I

came out as a little queer child, I always tried to break barriers and stereotypes, because I think

even though society wants to put us in an ​LGBTQIA​ category it’s still a label and still a category

I don’t agree with.” Carnita went on to say, in the drag community she has fought an uphill to get

rid of labels among the Drag Queen community. She noted how the community is growing and

ebbing beyond what it was considered to be in the past. She said you don’t have to wear makeup,

lashes, hip pads, nails, and tights to be considered drag. She furthered her story by saying, she

has been told that her drag is not right and does not constitute as drag. She has gone out of her
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way to dispel the notion that you have to be a female illusionist and that’s it, to be seen as drag,

because that is not the case.

Rosie Bush responded by sharing her preconceived notions of the Drag Queen

community when she first was starting out in drag, “When I came into it, I was expecting some

really catty, bitchy, horrible at least a couple people like that. I encountered a bunch of very

creative, warm, wonderful people who want to help you…It’s not about knocking you down and

taking you out, because I’m better than you. And that’s been surprising and refreshing and really

overturned my thoughts about Drag Queens in general. Most of them are just art nerds-the

theater kids.” Stereotypes in this community is common among the masses, because not many

people fully comprehend what makes a Drag Queen.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

15. Rosie Bush responded by sharing her preconceived notions of the Drag Queen

community when she first was starting out in drag, “When I came into it, I was expecting

some really catty, bitchy, horrible at least a couple people like that. I encountered a bunch

of very creative, warm, wonderful people who want to help you…It’s not about knocking

you down and taking you out, because I’m better than you. And that’s been surprising

and refreshing and really overturned my thoughts about Drag Queens in general. Most of

them are just art nerds-the theater kids.” This quote is significant, because to the inquiry

of showing how stereotypes in this community play a hand on how outsiders may picture

the Drag Queen community to be as a whole. The quote later explains how Rosie Bush’s

thoughts of the community changed when she got to know the people who made up the

community. This shows as a society we need to stay open and reject the natural

tendencies to judge.

16. During my interview with Carnita Asada she explained in so many words that, in the drag

community she has fought an uphill battle in order to get rid of the labels among the Drag

Queen community. She noted how the community is growing and ebbing beyond what it

was considered to be in the past. She said you don’t have to wear makeup, lashes, hip

pads, nails, and tights to be considered drag. She furthered her story by saying, she has

been told that her drag is not right and does not constitute as drag. She has gone out of

her way to dispel the notion that you have to be a female illusionist, and that’s it, in order
DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

to be seen as drag, because that is not the case. This shows significance, because it

identifies a creative stereotype within and outside of the Drag Queen community.

17. G.G. Good responded to this question by pointing out, “Drag Queens are not strippers or

whores. They’re not trying to dance on a pole to an extent. Some Drag Queens that’s their

thing. That was the hardest thing to get out of my dad’s head…The masses need to

realize that is not what drag specifically is like.” This quote has significant weight to the

primary research, because G.G. Good tells of certain stereotypes she has experienced

inside of her family and in society.

DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

During the duration of my primary research, I conducted several interviews with Drag

Queens that striped away their outside appearances showing their raw dimensions in a new light.

From all the stories I collected I was able to understand that the drag community is beyond the

meaning of beautiful. It affects one’s thoughts, lives, emotions, and self-confidence that I have

not been able to see anywhere else. The community is able to heal and create a place where one

can feel accepted no matter the status of the individual.

The story that I heard from Dr. Sheila really struck me and showed me that in society it is

so ingrained in us to be close minded and that is one reason why stereotypes are created. Among

all of my interviews, the one that I connected with the most was the one with G.G. Good. She

told me about her family and their journey what that they went through together. While

observing the things that G.G. Good said, I was able to come to the conclusion that family plays

a huge role in a Drag Queen’s life. Most of the Queens I talked too referred to their family

members as being their biggest supporters through every step that they took. I loved hearing all

of the stories whether they be good or bad. Drag Queens may put up a larger than life character,

but when they are not on stage they are extremely humble people who wish to impact the overall

wellness of their community.

DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Section 7, Soundscape Links

Interviews

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YdvY_IxfXIIEjEjNmXfac3ni7KsAQlYb

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1irHc3Guy3oMe4f5diMaMJZZKNbgo94GS

Sound Taken From Drag Show

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QMa_ft83wMWKdZWK7DZ0m1sampIgxjpe

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1z0mbj7bhD2lLpZX9JtnKA67fho0p2Zxq

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Uqm9MjCf_66wy0ViEnzRs6p9vs2BfqB8

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tG6_ILYgRqEw1wgeo4DregFyULs4Q2w1

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15bS9n18GJcvD9nJFvpq7E9cPCsJGMBLd

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1G4Q9cUD_Mfp4uHk0z_SnyJFSDBpdb-dC

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1G4Q9cUD_Mfp4uHk0z_SnyJFSDBpdb-dC

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GGgsbIjWOWk0xzC2-t9abvsZNwK_5gTL

Drag Show Videos

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15XYo7CYZ1KE3EqtI7C8Jg6zhMuuqplCC

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PbzlQiJguzH1V9zRC5QbZqS-0Q-UPKUr

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zQ7EDHvnd4URoihkxfsPHHZclNr7ERz3

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kivjfYpj4uVhEQsUWbh6zyruVhvG1H5O

https://youtu.be/sU3Q6u2YxvI

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VBHkJCgmzLnW2rabNpN0Hi7E3PR9PzJm

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lu4BoPAJPiWsnz91-d3MZM4nTz1EZrTj

https://youtu.be/fjatmxfFRAE
DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Rainbow Festival Sound

https://drive.google.com/open?id=131ul-DhwTUADC5dmMoo9nM--NP1NUvzh
DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Section 8, WP3 Proposal

When conducting the primary research, the process showed that the Drag Queen

community is a diverse collection of individuals who only want to help their own along with

whomever else. Drag Queens are not this cold, unattainable character on stage. All of the Drag

Queens I talked to were very down to earth and not to forget very spunky. When observing Drag

Queens as a whole, I found that certain objects were symbolic towards them such as wigs,

clothing items, and choice of music that the Drag Queen chose to play during her performance.

These objects helped to bring to life the persona of each particular Drag Queen. All three objects

gave the Drag Queen a sort of brand that identified her from the rest of the crowd making her

stand out among many colors.

I conducted a vast majority of the observations pertaining to the Drag Queen inquiry at

the Rainbow Festival. I identified this to be a very important place for the Drag Queen

community which is a unit under the LGBTQ culture. The Rainbow Festival is the second largest

gay pride event held in the state of Arizona. Due to this reason, the Rainbow Festival hosted an

arrange of people scattered in age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and more. The Rainbow

Festival was a safe place where all could be part of a family.

An event that was observed within the Drag Queen community was a drag show, this event is a

symbolic moment that acts as the corner stone of the Drag Queen community. This is where a

Queen is able to express her art form. A drag show is a three-dimension occasion within this

community that sparks a flames into a raging fire of passion.

DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

Another key factor of the primary research were several interviews that were facilitated

with different personas of Drag Queens. Along with interviews that primarily focused on Drag

Queens, I conducted an interview with A.J. who is the director of IGNITE Your Status that

focuses on education of HIV and safe sex. The main questions that were driven by the primary

research was “what stereotypes of this community need to be dealt with,” and “how did your

family react to you coming out or doing drag.” I feel these questions are important to understand,

because it helps to clarify the truth of the individuals in this community. The Drag Queen

community and the LGBTQ community which was also explored in the research are still newer

communities in comparison to other established ones. For this reason, not many people know the

reality and depth behind them. The world along with society needs to make space for this

community and in order to do so, one needs to know the raw facts. Given my research, I propose

an essay that will inform its audience on the life of a Drag Queen.
DRAG QUEENS: WHO ARE YOU?

References

(Alexus Montoya, personal conversation, October 20, 2018)

(A.J., personal conversation, October 20, 2018)

(Carnita Asada, personal conversation, October 20, 2018)

(Dr. Sheila, personal conversation, October 20, 2018)

(G.G. Good, phone conversation, October 16, 2018)

(Rosie Bush, personal conversation, October 20, 2018)

(Takenya Breathaway, personal conversation, October 20, 2018)