Awareness
Hey, all you Queens, Kings, and everyone in between get ready to celebrate International Drag Day on July 16, 2024! Yas Queen, that means you better werk it, help celebrate this fabulous day by spreading awareness and supporting drag performers. Or get inspired to create your own unique drag persona in honour of the spirit of the day!
International Drag Day was first celebrated on July 16, 2009. The creator of the day Adam Stewart used his fan page for drag queens to create and launch the day. His goal was to not only show appreciation for drag art and culture but to also provide a safe space to feature the creativity of drag performers. Although the cultural visibility of drag has increased over the past decade, it was previously underappreciated and often stigmatized and is still under scrutiny and attack today.
For those unfamiliar with what drag entails our organization has put together a wonderful overview of drag in our resources section, which can be found as an entire lesson plan on the topic. A brief synopsis of drag can best be defined as a gender-bending art form. Drag is a creative form of self-expression in which individuals create a persona, which is used to celebrate gender nonconformity and the queer community.
In drag culture, you have both Drag Queen performers as well as Drag King performers. A Drag Queen is an individual who has created a feminine persona, while a Drag King is an individual who has created a masculine persona. Often the use of wigs, makeup, outfits, and props are staples in a drag performer’s persona. Drag performers have a long history of performing for queer audiences and are typically compensated for their performances.
Drag culture is not a new phenomenon. Drag performances were often common throughout ancient Greece, during the times of Shakespeare, and throughout other cultures and parts of history. In the Age of Shakespeare women were not allowed to perform, so men would dress in drag to perform the roles of female characters. In the United States during the 1880’s and 1890’s a freed slave William Dorsey Swann, who referred to themself as “The Queen of Drag,” hosted balls in which formerly enslaved men would dress in fine female attire to dance.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word drag has been in use since at least 1388. However, the use of the word drag in reference to a persona or performance different from an individual’s own gender did not come into popular use until the 19th century. Around this time the term likely garnered this meaning due to the theatre world of the late 1800s using the term to describe male performers dressing and performing as women on stage.
Today, drag performers can be seen across Canada’s cultural landscape. Popular television shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dragula, We’re Here, Dragnificient, AJ and the Queen, Sew Fierce, and many others showcase the magnificence of drag performers and the brilliant personas they have created. Drag is also featured prominently in such popular movies as the Rocky Horror Show, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Paris Is Burning, The Birdcage, Drag Becomes Him, and so many more. Many local communities also offer a slew of opportunities to support drag performers and performances.
Considering the popularity of drag performers in recent years, there are now more opportunities than ever to support drag performers and the drag community. So, take the time to educate yourself about the history of drag and introduce yourself to the myriad of drag performers and performances available. Most importantly help celebrate drag performers this July 16th and every day; by honouring the substantial contributions they have made to our cultures and societies!
References
https://cphs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/5-8-Drag-Lesson-Plan-08-2023.pdf
https://www.amoderngaysguide.com/international-drag-day/
https://www.internationaldays.co/event/international-drag-day/r/recvZu7RukcNViEaL
