You know what? Being a huge proud trans ally and huge proud fan of Rupaul's Drag Race can be a thankless existence. The two just don't seem to be able to go hand in hand with any sense of calm and serenity. It may seem silly for me to lose sleep over such frivolity, but actually celebrating the part of gay history through drag and defending the reality of my trans brothers, sisters and non-binary friends is an inner struggle.
Rupaul came under-fire most recently with an episode of Drag Race Season 6 having a mini-challenge called 'Female or She-male?' where contestants were asked to judge body part pictures and say whether they thought they were from a “biological woman” or a “psychological woman.” It isn't the first time Rupaul has accidentally courted controversy within the trans community, often using the word 'Tranny' without apology and has previously made the joke when asked what the difference is between a drag queen and a trans woman, he said “about $25,000 and a good surgeon.” It has to be said I have cowered behind a sofa cushion whilst watching Drag Race and feeling a sense of awkwardness about what appears to be downright transphobia.
But I think we all need to take a minute to check ourselves (before we wreck ourselves). Now I could be accused of using my 'gay male privilege' in presenting my case, which is a term I have heard bandied about within the communities of LGB and T. But I have taken a moment to look back over gay/trans history to see the changing face of what it meant to be gay or trans and how previously they weren't 100% exclusive of each other.
Rupaul came under-fire most recently with an episode of Drag Race Season 6 having a mini-challenge called 'Female or She-male?' where contestants were asked to judge body part pictures and say whether they thought they were from a “biological woman” or a “psychological woman.” It isn't the first time Rupaul has accidentally courted controversy within the trans community, often using the word 'Tranny' without apology and has previously made the joke when asked what the difference is between a drag queen and a trans woman, he said “about $25,000 and a good surgeon.” It has to be said I have cowered behind a sofa cushion whilst watching Drag Race and feeling a sense of awkwardness about what appears to be downright transphobia.
But I think we all need to take a minute to check ourselves (before we wreck ourselves). Now I could be accused of using my 'gay male privilege' in presenting my case, which is a term I have heard bandied about within the communities of LGB and T. But I have taken a moment to look back over gay/trans history to see the changing face of what it meant to be gay or trans and how previously they weren't 100% exclusive of each other.
Sylvia Rivera was there when it all happened back at the Stonewall Inn in NYC. The police moved in and the queers fought back. Now the retelling of history has all but erased trans people from this event. What Sylvia went on to do was establish herself as founders of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance and helped found Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group dedicated to helping homeless young street drag queens and trans women. It is the involvement with the gay movement and this later project which implies historically trans women and drag queens kind of mucked in together and the distinction is not what it is today. Take a moment to watch the iconic 'Paris Is Burning' (a film that Rupaul references constantly, as we all should). Within the queer NYC movement drag queens and trans people lived side by side, sometimes those lines were totally blurred. And it is my feeling that this is why Rupaul Charles himself is happy to blur these lines today.
In Season 5 of Rupaul's Drag Race we all watched emotional scenes as contestant Monica Beverly Hillz came out on the main-stage as a transgender female. Rupaul was quick to support Monica in her decision for doing so and reassured her that her place on the show was secure. The internet went wild, and debates started happening from all corners about what being a trans woman 'should be' and what being a drag queen 'should be'. The truth is, none of us have the luxury of stating how another person should label or present themselves, that luxury lays solely with them. Previous contestant Carmen Carrera of Season 3 presented as male during the program but has since come out as a trans female, again, showing that lines between female impersonation and female realisation can be blurred.
There seems to be a struggle over ownership of certain words and terms that make it hard for me being a Drag Race fan and a trans ally. The word 'tranny' has been back and fourth in the debate of offensive versus term of endearment. The truth is (or at least should be) that if you experience that word directed at you in either a positive or negative way you are entitled to own that word and how you feel about it, this therefore applies to drag queens and trans women. It is my belief that Rupaul is well within his rights to use certain terminology as he pleases if it refers to him, equally trans women have the right to be offended by certain words and phrases if they apply to them, but neither party has the right to berate the other for taking ownership of those words. When cis non-drag gay men come flying in trying to own those words, that's when education is needed.
My hope is that my trans friends don't think I am coming from a 'gay male privilege' view point, but rather one of trying to find solace in a world where too much in-house fighting within the LGBTQI communities leads to nothing but a weakened standing. Those letters come together under one umbrella to shield us all from the rain coming down on us, let's not push each other out in the wet. I've said what I had to say, the time has come for me to sashay away.
There seems to be a struggle over ownership of certain words and terms that make it hard for me being a Drag Race fan and a trans ally. The word 'tranny' has been back and fourth in the debate of offensive versus term of endearment. The truth is (or at least should be) that if you experience that word directed at you in either a positive or negative way you are entitled to own that word and how you feel about it, this therefore applies to drag queens and trans women. It is my belief that Rupaul is well within his rights to use certain terminology as he pleases if it refers to him, equally trans women have the right to be offended by certain words and phrases if they apply to them, but neither party has the right to berate the other for taking ownership of those words. When cis non-drag gay men come flying in trying to own those words, that's when education is needed.
My hope is that my trans friends don't think I am coming from a 'gay male privilege' view point, but rather one of trying to find solace in a world where too much in-house fighting within the LGBTQI communities leads to nothing but a weakened standing. Those letters come together under one umbrella to shield us all from the rain coming down on us, let's not push each other out in the wet. I've said what I had to say, the time has come for me to sashay away.