This Friday, March 27th, at 6:30p.m. in the ballroom, is the 22nd drag ball here at Roanoke College. Outside of college, drag has made an impression in the world of entertainment for a very long time. In the 19th century “drag” referred to a person cross-dressing as the opposite gender on a stage. Mainly, it referred to men dressing in women’s clothing to perform in theater before women were allowed to perform as well. Eventually, with laws emerging to tear down the people performing this art, a lot of underground bars emerged in which people were free to express themselves, especially in drag.
During the 1950-60s the police were cracking down on these safe havens for the LGBTQIA+ community, but at that same time, drag balls were born. They were mini societies in which drag queens were accepted and supported, even providing shelter for those that had been kicked out of their own homes. By 1966 there were an estimated 500 regularly performing drag queens in the US. During the Stonewall Riot, drag queens protested police brutality and the injustices they had been facing all these years. It opened the door to a path full of fighting for their human rights.
In 1972, John Water directed the film “Pink Flamingos,” which featured the drag queen known as “Divine,” who was (fun fact!) the inspiration for Ursula’s marvelous and dramatic makeup and hair. Divine was also known for starring as Tracy’s mother in the musical “Hairspray” in 1988 and paving the way for the character to be played by drag queens. Then in 1990 “Paris Is Burning” by Jennie Livingston aired. It was a documentary showing what it took to become a drag queen. In 2009, the hit show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” premiered and immediately caught the attention of people and continues to do so for 18 seasons with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Understanding the past helps us appreciate the present a little bit more. You don’t have to go down a rabbit hole of drag history to enjoy the show this Friday, but now you know why these shows aren’t just entertainment but a form of art and expression with a dense history behind it. Shout out to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” cast for making a video enlightening us!
Andrea Flores
