In collaboration with DV Connect AANHPI Student Union
What is Drag?
Art
Political movement
activism
self expression
encompasses love, acceptance,
and community
And the most important thing to remember: Drag’s fight for queer people is a fight for all people + Drag is welcome to anyone.
History of Drag:
Roots in
Egypt
Theater: Greece
- Men dressed as women
Kabuki Theater
Self-Expression
Cultural Connections to Gender Crossing
- Baybaylan – Filipino Gender Crossers
- Fa'afafine – Samoa
- Mahu – Hawaii
Rupaul's Drag Race:
one example of how drag is
represented in the modern day
The Roots: Theatre in Greece:
Ancient Greeks created the theatrical tradition of men playing women roles.
Why did they do this???
They thought that men could take the female roles since they were deemed fit for the art form
KUBUKI Theatres:
Originated in Japan, the Kabuki theatres are a form of classical theatre that displays dramatic and elaborate costumes. Today Kabuki is known as traditional Japanese Theatre.
Since the 17th century, Japanese kabuki has featured male actors performing female roles.
History of Drag Pt. 2:
During the late 16th century and the early start of the 17th centuries, Shakespeare incorporated drag in his theater plays by making men wear and dress up as the opposite gender in order to perform in these acts and plays of his. This was also because women at the time couldn’t be actresses due to how society was back then.
In England during the 18th century, Princess Seraphina was actually a gentleman’s servant named John Cooper. Seraphina was known for becoming the country’s very first drag queen. It was later discovered that Seraphina was apart of John’s daily life rather than being just an acting role.
History of Drag Pt. 3
A major star in the early 20th century was a drag queen named Julian Eltinge. Eltinge had numerous of fans and stated that all of this wasn’t an act, but an actress. She then was known in varieties of theatres in the UK where cross dressing and drag was very popular and well-known. Whenever he was doing performances on stages, he was known for removing his wig and revealing his gender to the audience. However, in the USA, drag was also known as a crime and this lead to multiple drag queens to have a negative impact to them.
Opera - In Western Opera, cross gendering was mostly common in opera. Many men would play women roles as women would play the male roles. This would be based off of their position while singing opera. This also occurs in Chinese Opera where the female impersonators would become stars for their roles.
Create your own Drag Persona:
Build your own drag persona
Create a drag name/ or super hero name
Create characteristics that they would want to embody as that drag or super hero character
Runway Showcase:
Dig into the set of masks, wigs, fabrics, signs, headpieces, to create a persona that works for them
Have participants either as a solo, pair, or group introduce themselves as their drag character one at a time and walk down the runway
While this is happening, facilitator will introduce the person as their drag character. The rest of the audience will be cheering and welcoming them.
Discussion Time:
Question #1:
What communities face marginalization or challenges currently? What are those challenges?
Question #2:
Why is it important to support and show solidarity with these communities?
Question #3:
What can we do in our every day to support, uplift, cherish, and accept these communities so they may feel supported?
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