For Your Entertainment Pleasure: A Look at Gay Drag Culture

Drag Queens have long been an interesting and entertaining component of Gay Culture. On any given evening in any given gay club across the world, you are most likely to see men dressed in drag as patrons in the bar, or as performers onstage. Dressing in drag is entirely different from transvestitism. Some men dress in drag simply because that is their style when they go to gay bars. Other gay men dress in drag to entertain the patrons in the bar. In many club scenarios, drag performers often work for tips from the audience in combination with a portion of the club's cover charge. There have been many nights I have helped a drag queen earn his money's worth for his show by giving him a couple dollars in tips.

Drag culture is built upon things, which are extremely produced, choreographed, campy and kitschy. Drag performers spend many hours selecting the songs they are going to perform, perfecting their costumes, their choreography, their hair, their nails, and their makeup.

Many drag queens choose to dress in clothing that reflects classic trends and styles of the 1940's and 1950s. These drag queens' song repertoire consists of the classic songs from the era that are still remembered today. However, in modern times, an increasing number of drag queens are using an increasing number of contemporary pop, dance, and even country music tunes in their repertoire.

A typical drag queen show usually consists four or five drag queens doing at least staged musical numbers each, as well as comedic dialog, which is usually based on common social and political issues that Gay people sometimes face in society. Many drag queens rely heavily on audience interaction during the show, often the drag queen will depend on one or two members of the audience seated nearest the stage to provide some of the comedic content of the show.

Many drag queens try to work a message of gay pride into their act, either in the songs they choose, or by acknowledging the fact that some heterosexuals may be in the club and enjoying the show. This has helped to greatly improve heterosexual society's perception of homosexuality and homosexual people.