In 2016, drag queens are everywhere: reality TV, anti-smoking campaigns, mainstream modeling... and they've even come to a library near you! If you'd like to learn more about drag culture, check out the following titles.
At the helm of RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul Charles is one of the most famous drag performers in the world. Learn how Ru rose from poverty to become Supermodel of the World in his autobiography, Lettin It All Hang Out. Fun fact: RuPaul appears out of drag as a counselor at a gay rehabilitation camp in the 1999 comedy But I'm A Cheerleader.
The 2013 documentary I Am Divine tells the story of the drag queen RuPaul himself calls the "first drag superstar." Born Harris Glen Milstead, Divine worked closely with cult filmmaker John Waters, only to pass away days after the blockbuster release of Waters' only PG-rated film, Hairspray. Fun fact: the character design for The Little Mermaid's Ursula the Sea Witch was based on Divine.
Looking for stories about teenage drag queens? Written by infamous club kid James St. James, Freak Show tells the story of Billy Bloom, a down-on-his-luck drag queen who decides to reclaim his fabulousness by running for Homecoming Queen. In Drag Teen, JT is determined to escape the state of Florida and go to college, but how? His best chance just might be a drag competition with a scholarship attached.
Freak Show is available in other formats.
Who is your favorite drag performer?
Add a comment to: Celebrating the Art of Drag