Category Is…Black Queens Slay
I’m Cody Charles, and I’ve got something to say.
This is a love letter to Black royalty.
To the risk-takers and the outliers.
To the rule breakers and the norm smashers.
to the givers.
This is a love letter to my favorite queens who are unsurprisingly Black.
To the queens who will never be fully held by the drag community, because white supremacy reigns queen.
This love letter is for Kennedy, Chi Chi, and Nina.
For Bebe and Shangela.
For Tyra and Trinity K. Bonet.
This love letter is for Jasmine and Jaidyn, and the countless other Black drag queens who are often rendered less than and invisible; queens who are often stuck in a state of unavoidable doubt and meltdowns; and queens whose work is critiqued, yet, routinely imitated and successfully appropriated.
However, I’ve got a secret, something so much more dynamic than what Alyssa has to share.
A secret that whiteness cannot earnestly whisper into your ears. And at times your Black family is so invested in the white rules and norms around gender and sexual orientation that they too have trouble telling you this.
But the tea is, you are Black Excellence!
And that qualifier of Black matters, because in my mind Black encapsulates both brilliance and beauty.
As bonus tea and a general reminder, you are enough!
In a world that is committed to having you internalize your Blackness as not enough, internalize your body as inadequate or broken, and have you constantly questioning if your talents have value- I again assert, you are enough!
To Kennedy Davenport- my heart broke when you shared on All Stars 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) that you don’t want to be experienced as an afterthought to the other queens during RPDR tours anymore, which I read other queens as white queens.
Remember who you are sis- you’re that queen who slayed and roared throughout that Katy Perry lip sync; You’re that queen who won Snatch Game on your original season; You’re that queen who takes great care of their family members; additionally, you’re the muthphukin’ Dancing Diva of Texas, a title way too small for a person with your talents and gifts in my humble opinion.
To Bob The Drag Queen- I was furious when Michelle Visage and the other queens told you that you were bordering on being a showboat after you slayed the Snatch Game, as if Black folks get to have any ego or confidence in their gifts without consequence. They told you to be smaller, and I hope you unpacked that. Moreover, the random and incorrect usage of ratchet aimed at your drag remains suspect and loaded.
Sis, you are one of the most talented and necessary queens to hit the RPDR runway. You are a gift. Your humor, social awareness, and beauty often goes unmatched.
To Chi Chi DeVayne- The ways in which you were shamed on your season of RPDR for simply being poor and having very little access to resources was disgusting.
You have nothing to be ashamed of, Sis. You are fierce, ferocious even. Beyond your glorious Dream Girls lip sync, your Eartha Kitt during Snatch Game was exquisite and spot on. You are a queen that can do it all, and I’m anxiously awaiting the day you believe it. Much love to you, my Louisiana sister.
I could go on and on gushing over the talents and testimonies of Black queens. However, I have reached my word count.
So, to every Black queen who dawned the RPDR stage, and to every Black queen struggling to live their calling- know that you are Black Excellence and you are enough.
Never forget the creativity, labor, and the passion of Black and brown queens who came before you- trailblazers who helped to shape what drag is today.
Drag is yours, and you have no one to explain yourself to.
And in regards to the All Stars 3 finale, in the words of Issa Rae, I’m rooting for everybody Black!
Constantly in awe,
Cody
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This is the work of Cody Charles; claiming my work does not make me selfish or ego-driven, instead radical and in solidarity with the folk who came before me and have been betrayed by history books and storytellers. Historically, their words have been stolen and reworked without consent. This is the work of Cody Charles. Please discuss, share, and cite properly.
Bio:
Cody Charles is the author of Mudbound: Uncovering The Parts Of Ourselves We Sacrifice In Order To Survive, Our Favorite Blackity Black Quotes In Black Cinema, Engaging My Black Fat Body, Black Up The Cast: Re-imagining Iconic Horror Films, I’m Fearful of White People and Whiteness, Re-Imagining Black Love, You Can’t Outdo Black People, Black Joy, We Deserve It, The Night The Moonlight Caught My Eye: Not a Review but a Testimony on the Film Moonlight, 5 Tips For White Folks, As They Engage Jordan Peele’s Get Out. (No Spoilers), and What Growing Up Black And Poor Taught Me About Resiliency. Join him for more conversation on Twitter (@_codykeith_) and Facebook (Follow Cody Charles). Please visit his blog, Reclaiming Anger, to learn more about him.
