Photo by Chris Bosch

Anthony Lamont, as seen during a performance in New Haven late last year.

Well it seems we can’t go through the month of June without weddings, thunderstorms, and some drag queen getting her panties in a bunch.  By now I’m sure most of you (those of you with Facebook anyway) have heard about the  drag contest  at a bar in New Haven that when all was said and done, the “Friends Of Francesca” (a contestant that didn’t win) started claiming that the contest was fixed and then the  contestant who did win ended up dissing the club on Facebook and then everyone else had to put their two cents in.  Well I have connections with a magazine so I get to put in a whole seven and a half cents in.

Let me start by saying that I was at that event and I know two of the judges so I know at least a little of what occurred.  Do I think the contest was fixed?  No I don’t.  I have seen Francesca perform before and frankly see didn’t bring her A game to the contest.  I have seen her do much better performances and with her years of experience I expected more from her.  Do I think the right person won?  No I don’t.  The winner seems to enjoy a certain misplaced popularity at the moment but frankly is the Andrew Lloyd Webber of Drag and eventually people will come to understand that elaborate makeup and flashy costumes only go so far in hiding a mediocre performance (Starlight Express anyone?).

The event was billed as a drag contest and in my opinion there was only one contestant in drag there.  The rest were just guys in costumes (or electrical tape) make-up & wigs.  They needed to be a little more RuPaul and a little less Anthony Lamont (if you don’t know who Anthony Lamont is - Google him,  if you don’t know who RuPaul is - turn in your gay card immediately!)   I’ve seen better drag done by straight guys on Halloween.  In addition one of the contestants referred to themselves as “I’m a female illusionist, not a drag queen.”

So what is a Drag Queen?  

What is a Female Illusionist?  

What is a Gender-Bender?

There is no doubt that RuPaul is a Drag Queen in the classic sense.  When in full drag mode RuPaul can easily be mistaken for a woman.  Hedda Lettuce can also be mistaken for a woman though with rather strange hair.  At the extreme end, even the Diva Miss Longo can be mistaken for a woman (from a distance and in poor light - just kidding Miss Longo, you know we all love you).  So it would seem to me that a drag queen is someone who can pass as a woman.

Which brings me to Gender-Benders.  Anthony Lamont is a gender-bender in that when he performs its often in make-up, a dress, stockings and heels.  However the goatee is a dead giveaway that Anthony is not a woman and he makes no pretense of being one.  David Bowie in his early days also did gender-bending as part of his performance.  The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (back to Google again) are also gender-benders though of a religious bent.

Apparently “Female Illusionists” fall somewhere in between these two in that they sometimes can pass as a woman but do not  consider it an essential part of their performance.  Consequently when they decide to make a costume out of electrical tape, they don’t consider the fact that their body does not resemble a woman’s (at least not one that has gone through puberty) is significant.

So if an event is touted as a Drag Contest, should gender-benders & female illusionist  be surprised if they don’t win?  Should they even be allowed to enter?  What about a male to female pre-op transsexual?  What about a male to female post-op transsexual?  Can a male to female post-op transsexual be a drag queen or can they now only be drag kings?

Okay so the rules of this particular contest could have been spelled out better and frankly if I had been a judge I would have disqualified 3 of the 4 contestants for not meeting the definition of  “being in drag”.  On the other hand  just because we as a community have gotten lazy in our speech  and use words interchangeably even though what we are referring to are vastly different things (i.e.: Tranny - which can mean cross-dresser, transvestite, drag queen, transsexual [both pre- and post-op], etc.) it not surprising that we can’t do anything without it causing someone to get bent out of shape.

There is one thing that Drag Queens, Gender-Benders, and Female Illusionists do have in common.  They generally have Egos  far beyond to limits of mere mortals.

Tags: 2010, 37-12, LATE JUNE