I have a bad habit of believing that because drag is a constant in my life, that it makes me a scholar, when it comes to the topic of gender. And, then, events come along that prove to me that I still have a long way to go before I will ever be able to teach a gender studies class.
Over the course of the last couple of weeks, I got my schooling. Pride! Portland had posted a request for ideas of entertainment for the week. Dan/Shaunna Rai suggested getting some talent that originated in the area, and Ian Harvie was on the list. As Dan told me this, a couple things clicked. Ian was the first trans person that I knew of. I followed him on MySpace, back in the pre-public Facebook days. And, Ian is in the Amazon Prime show, Transparent. And, since I just got a subscription to Amazon Prime, we decided to watch it. And, I'm hooked. I'm actually disappointed that we binge watched it, as there are only 10 episodes, and I have no idea when the new season comes out.
Anyway, the timing was good, because just after we watched it, University of Southern Maine had their annual USM Royal Majesty Drag Show.
And with all the understanding that I had developed, just from watching Jeffrey Tambour's character out himself as a trans woman, and begin his journey, it was all undone, walking into the conference room they used as a dressing room. I, of course walked in with Shaunna Rai, and dropped off her suitcase with her costumes for the show.
And, the need to box people into a gender all of a sudden went into overdrive. A few, I knew for sure, because they're people I interact with on a regular basis...drag queen...cis male...cis female...but then there were the ones I didn't know. And I couldn't stop second guessing myself. That's a boy. That's a girl. And, then I caught myself doing it.
I excused myself from the room, figuring, "ok, I have my camera, and I'll be shooting like a fiend, so I should go find a seat." Going to get a seat would be the distraction I needed to get back to my "genderless" normality.
Only, because the show has been a staple for 15 years, it's a draw for all people. And, I found myself trying to box people in the audience, as well. (Is that a gay boy in a leather harness, or a drag king? I just don't know.) And, it just would be rude to walk up to someone you don't know, to ask.
Finally, the show starts. I'm glad, because, now, I have something to focus on. Between the performances and the music itself, I no longer am concerned with who's a boy, who's a girl, who used to be a boy, who used to be a girl, or who is just fucking with perceived genders. I have pictures to take. I have music that I can lip sync to, along with the performers. And, all is right in the world again.
Except, I'm not the official photographer, this time. There are actually a couple of other pro photographers there. And we're all going for the same shots. And, we're trying to avoid getting each other in our pictures.
A few performers in, I'm intrigued by someone I've not seen perform before. I wish I could remember his drag name...but he came out with a glam rock look, with Stephen Amell's Green Arrow eye makeup on. And suddenly, something that happened years ago made sense to me.
I had taken a group of kids that I worked with to see the show I participated in a year or two later, Guys in Gowns. One of the acts was done by Kings, who called themselves the "Whoa Men." And on the way back someone asked about them. And I explained that it was a group of women dressed as men. It later came out that there was a crush going on, and it became an issue, because "...I'm not a lesbian..."
And, now, not only have I been transported back in time, but I'm the "lesbian" in the equation now. The number was good. And, by the end of it, I had talked myself into just enjoying the show, and not even worrying about gender, for the rest of the show. Because, gender is what's on the inside and not what's on the outside...although, it's important for some people to have both match.
Shaunna did her number, a Pussycat Dolls mix, ending in Hush Hush/I will Survive (a song I could watch her do every show and never get bored.) Her tear away outfits had people gasping, and left them wanting more.
Prodigy Diamond was up next, and got read by Cherry Lemonade, who was hosting, for being late. A mix including Evanescance's Bring Me to Life. The outfit was along the lines of Beetlejuice, as a blonde drag queen. And the performance left people wondering how much of her tottering around acting like she was drunk was for the performance, and how much was her actually being drunk.
During intermission, I talked to a couple of the judges, then went out to see what was going on in the dressing room. Shaunna came out and took my chair, as I had decided that the way to go for this show was sit at the end of the stage, on the floor.
The show started up again, and this time it was the "contestants's" turns to perform. It was almost all Kings competing this year, with one Queen. E standouts were, Michael Jackson, and John Legend. There was another one, but I can't remember the song.
John Legend was good.
Michael Jackson was amazing, and, in my mind should clearly have won first place. She knew the dance from the music video step for step. And, looks-wise, until she looked you dead on, she was a dead-ringer.
The song I don't remember, ended up winning. And, she earned it. The lip sync was on point, as was the dancing. And she's deaf. Until they asked her her "pageant" question, and an interpreter answered for her, I never would've guessed.
Speaking of interpreters, because they want to be inclusive of everyone, they always have ASL interpreters at the show. And, sometimes, it's actually more fun to watch them perform than to watch the actual performance. They lip sync to it, and occasionally, they get swept up in the music and start dancing, themselves.
The night was fun. And not a bad way to spend the eve of Dan and my 3 year (Facebook official) anniversary. We went home early, ordered pizzas, and relaxed, before a trip to Boston the next day.
But, the night was the slap in the face that I needed to realize that even I am not immune from putting people in gender boxes. And, I'm one of the people preaching to others not to... And, I again realize that there are still so many questions I have that I don't know how to get answered, without coming off ignorant and rude...
No comments:
Post a Comment