I’m a Drag Queen. We Can Be Child Friendly.
We’re not that different to other forms of entertainment…
A drag queen is just like a clown: we both slap on ostentatious make-up, we both wear elaborate costumes, and (ultimately) we both entertain. It’s just that we drag queens have better contouring skills and our costumes are more form-fitting. Sometimes.
However, throughout history, clowns have entertained all sorts of audiences — from anklebiters to childish adults — whereas drag has predominately featured in gay clubs and underground bars. So it’s understandable why many view drag queens as unacceptable entertainment for children.
Mind you, the only reason drag queens were sequestered to homosexuals was because they were frowned upon up until a decade or so ago. Much like homosexuals.
It’s only become more mainstream thanks to Ru Paul’s Drag Race, which isn’t itself child-friendly, but it has given many parents across the world a proper glimpse into our world to see that it’s not so offensive as they once believed… Much like homosexuals.
As a drag queen myself, I can tell you that drag queens can be child friendly. You can have adult drag queen entertainment, and you can have family-friendly drag queen entertainment. And it’s the same with clowns…
You wouldn’t take your five-year-old to watch Stephen King’s IT movie — which features a killer clown. Nor would you take them to a clown show that features nudity or adult themes. I am absolutely certain they exist since Pornhub has a category called ‘Clown Porn’.
But, to the local circus? Sure! They design those shows to entertain both children and adults. So why can’t a drag queen do the same?
Yes, I totally agree that you shouldn’t take your toddler to a gay bar (or any bar for that matter) as they are too young for those places. And because these places are for adults, it’s only a given that the entertainment is going to be designed for adults.
But I have performed in places that are more family orientated, where I am happy to set aside the adult content for some family-friendly entertainment. Honestly, what’s so wrong about me performing Gloria Gaynor’s I Am What I Am to a room full of parents and children? The song has no swearing, it’s got a lovely message, and it’s upbeat and entertaining.
Indeed, much of the lyrics may be lost on children, so it may not be as overly entertaining for them, but it does fit the dictionary definition of family-friendly.
However, what is comprehendible to children are children's books, written specifically for children. It should be more than appropriate for a drag queen, whilst dressed appropriately, to read these to children.
Despite how reasonable it sounds, there are people out there who still cannot fathom the idea of a drag queen reading a children’s book to children. They say it can “confuse” children with gender tropes, as if it will lead them to do the same (God forbid!). But if that were true, then why aren’t more of us clowns? I saw a lot when I was a kid!
And even if it were true that it could influence children (boys) into doing drag, then what’s so wrong about a boy wearing girls clothes and splashing on a bit of make-up? It’s only wrong because you think it’s wrong, which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong. It’s costumes and make-up, for God’s sake. It’s not that different to dressing your son up as the devil for Halloween, with red face paint, horns and a velvet suit.
And if you think drag queens are a gateway to transgenderism, then you clearly have not done your homework. For one, most drag queens I know don’t want to be transgender. For another, most transgender people I know don’t want to be drag queens. They are actually two totally different things.
I don’t do drag to be a woman. I don’t want to be a woman. I do drag for the same reason clowns do clowning: for entertainment. It’s so bloody fun to dress up like a lady and make people smile and laugh.
If someone starts drag and decides to become a trans woman, that’s not drag’s fault. Drag just opened their eyes to the idea; an idea that has been bubbling inside them well before they donned a dress.
And if what we do is what we end up liking, then all the hobbies we have gotten into should be our ongoing passions. But that’s not the case. And there are some hobbies that other people do that we love, like stand up comedians, but that we’ll never do ourselves.
So no, it’s likely that your child may not turn out to be a drag queen, even if they are entertained by them.
What this all bubbles down to is this: drag queens should not be exclusive to adults, just like clowns shouldn’t be exclusive to children. In the end, drag is just flashy costumes, big wigs, loud makeup, and shiny shoes… just like clowns.
And yet, some of us think one sounds worse than the other. When really, they are both the same.
