05 Aug 2023 at 05:00
Drag queens are more visible than ever. Due to the popularity of programs like RuPaul’s Drag Race in Make Up Your Mind we no longer see them only in queer clubs. But this attention also brings negativity.
Earlier this year, an event in Rotterdam where drag queens would read to children met with so much opposition that it led to a demonstration. Bills are being prepared in some U.S. states to curtail drag performances, especially those in front of children.
It doesn’t end there: a vocal group of people on social media is speaking out against drag. They believe that no performance by a drag queen is suitable for minors. According to them, children are influenced by the LGBTQ+ community.
“More visibility does indeed mean more negative reactions. That goes hand in hand,” thinks Dutch drag queen Janey Jacké. “And you notice that the arguments of the American anti-drag movement are being adopted in the Netherlands. It feels like herd behavior that stems from ignorance.”
What is drag actually?
Drag is an art or entertainment form in which an exaggerated form of femininity (or masculinity or any gender expression) is portrayed. This is often accompanied by lavish outfits, wigs and make-up. Anyone can practice it, regardless of orientation or gender.
‘I don’t want to change anyone’
“The biggest misconception is that we want to influence people and want them to live the same lives as we do,” thinks Jacké. “I don’t want to change anyone at all. But I do want us to be given space to do what we do. And that we are left in our value.”
Jacké, who finished second in the first season of Holland’s Drag Race, often hear people say that they are “thrown to death with it” or “pushed down their throats”. “But you really have a choice which media you present to yourself, especially in times of social media. You don’t have to look at us, do you?”
COC spokesperson Philip Tijsma rejects the idea that too much visibility might lead to people being less tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community. “Without visibility you do not create acceptance. You can say that you accept people as long as you do not see them walking hand in hand and they are not dressed in drag, but that is of course not acceptance.”
“I’m not waiting for football either, so I’m not watching”
Jacké emphasizes that everyone is free not to be a fan of what she does. Conversely, she does not feel the same freedom to express herself. “In the opposition you often hear that we should act normal. That is not acceptance. I don’t understand why people pay so much attention to something they don’t like and don’t have to look at at all.”
“I’m not waiting for a football match either, so I don’t watch that. But you won’t hear me complain about that, although sometimes you have reason to, with the rooster behavior and the vandalism on the street that comes with it.”
“The vast majority of films, commercials and books are still about cisgender straight people,” Tijsma notes. “We don’t say that it makes you straight and that it is pushed down our throats.”
“It’s a pity that I have to adjust how I go about the street”
Jacké says she also notices the negativity in her own social media inbox. “But I let it slide off me.” The same goes for negative reactions on the street.
The drag queen is very aware of how she goes about the street. “I often do my make-up at home before I go to a performance. But I never go out in ‘full drag’. Unless the performance is very close. But even then I make sure I’m not alone. That is of course already an adjustment pattern. It is a great pity that it is necessary.”
At the same time, Tijsma of COC wants to emphasize that the group that has a negative attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community is not necessarily growing. “But the fact that acceptance is stagnating is cause for concern. And that is why we are unpacking prominent banners during the Canal Parade with the message to stop the stagnation and that we need help from politicians.”
“But let’s not forget that more than three quarters of the population supports the LGBTIQ + community. Fortunately, that group also makes itself heard clearly, for example by hanging out the rainbow flag, which is a support.”
Jacké notices that too. She’s been doing drag for over a decade, but has seen her career take off in recent years. “It has become a great form of entertainment that is very much appreciated in the Netherlands. It is no longer seen as a dress-up party, but as an art form. It is fantastic to be able to experience that growth.”
2023-08-05 03:00:15
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