Is the trans identity compatible with the world of drag?

Over the last week and a half, RuPaul has come under serious fire from both the trans and drag communities. Speaking in an interview with The Guardian the drag icon made what many perceived to be inflammatory and insensitive remarks regarding trans people and whether he would allow them to participate in his hallmark reality show. Retaliation came quickly, with many former contestants of the series condemning his remarks and leaders of the trans community calling him out for being discriminatory and backwards in his views. This lead to a truly rare occurrence from the drag superstar: an apology – or “Ru-pology” as his show would say. (Read the interview here)

RuPaul’s Drag Race launched in 2009, and it was unlike anything seen on television before. A cutting-edge, campy reality TV series that turned the formula on its head. With winking references, queer homages, and sheer tenacity it was reality TV in drag. Yet the series – avant-garde in many ways – has always had a rocky relationship with transgender people.

In the decade the series has been on the air the language around trans people has changed completely. We’ve witnessed the rise of Lavern Cox, Yance Ford’s Oscar nomination, a national discussion on transgender civil rights, and even Courtney Act’s brazen and viral-worthy dissection of gender on this year’s Celebrity Big Brother (of all places). Drag Race suddenly isn’t quite as cutting edge as it once was.

Watch Courtney Act (a former Drag Race contestant) discuss gender on Big Brother here: 

In 2014, the series faced controversy after a mini-challenge found contests looking at close-ups of body parts (lips, eyes, etc.) and having to guess whether they were “female” or “she-male”. Many trans writers – and former contestants of the show who transitioned after filming – called the challenge transphobic and demeaning. This lead to a criticism of the series’ “She-Male” segment, a play on words referencing Next Top Model’s “She-Mail”, but also the derogatory word for a transgender person. Producers quickly nixed the title and the segment now goes under a completely different name.

When asked by Vulture at the time as to why the change was made he said, “I didn’t do that. The network did that, and you’d have to ask them why they did it, but I had nothing to do with that.”

When pressed to talk about the relationship between drag queens and the trans community he dismissed the question entirely: “I think it’s a boring topic. I don’t really want to talk about that because everybody wants to ask about that. It’s so topical, but they’re complete opposites. We mock identity. They take identity very seriously. So it’s the complete opposite ends of the scale. To a layperson, it seems very similar, but it’s really not.” (Read the 2016 Vulture interview here) 

This past week, in The Guardian, RuPaul was once again asked about his views. While trying to choose his words carefully, he said “that’s always been the dichotomy of the trans movement versus the drag movement... I liken it to having a currency of money, say English pounds as opposed to American dollars. I think identities are like value systems or currencies; there’s not just one. Understand the value of different currencies, and what you could do with them. That’s the place you want to be.”

When pressed again and asked, specifically, if he would allow a transgender people to compete on his show he said: “Probably not. You can identify as a woman and say you’re transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body. It takes on a different thing; it changes the whole concept of what we’re doing. We’ve had some girls who’ve had some injections in the face and maybe a little bit in the butt here and there, but they haven’t transitioned.”

The reaction was almost immediate. People were quick to point out the hypocrisy of such a statement a year after transgender drag queen Peppermint made it to the finals – where Laverne Cox wished her luck in a message televised on the show, saying, “Being a proud transgender woman is not incompatible with being America’s next drag superstar. You can have them both.”

Willam, a former contestant, wrote on Twitter: “We work with trans women every night side by side and for them to be denied the opportunities because of someone’s narrowminded view on what they call ‘drag’ is fucked.”

“My drag was born in a community full of trans women, trans men, and gender non-conforming folks doing drag,” Sasha Velour, the current reigning winner of Drag Race, said. “That’s the real world of drag, like it or not. I think it’s fabulous and I will fight my entire life to protect and uplift it.”

Monica Beverly Hillz, another former contestant, responded with a heartfelt and emotionally raw piece in The Washington Post. She described her life growing up as an overtly feminine boy, being preyed upon by older men, and eventually taking shelter in the drag community and realising her trans identity. She talked about how drag and trans are inextricably and forever linked. One community has helped the other for as long as they have both existed.

“Trans women are not only equitable competitors on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ but trans women of colour specifically have helped shape and elevate audiences’ highest expectations for drag queens and nightlife performers.” She writes for The Post. “Trans women of colour have put their bodies on the line. They threw some of the first bricks at Stonewall to demand for our rights and snatched national titles in the drag pageantry scene. They have uniquely coveted spots in the sacred art of femme queen performances in black and Latinx LGBTQ ballroom culture.” (Read Monica Beverly Hillz’s piece here) 

Amrou Al-Kadhi, a queer actor and writer, pointed out the inherent misogyny in Rupaul’s words as well. Writing for The Independent he asked, “How can it be that only men have the privilege of irony and transgression when it comes to gender identity? The idea that the social critique of male patriarchy can only really work when it is enacted by men is nonsensical and offensive. Does RuPaul believe that counter-culture, as well as mass-culture, should privilege male voices?” (Read the article here) 

To his credit, RuPaul apologised shortly after the twitterstorm: “Each morning I pray to set aside everything I THINK I know, so I may have an open mind and a new experience. I understand and regret the hurt I have caused. The trans community are heroes of our shared LGBTQ movement. You are my teachers... In the 10 years, we’ve been casting Drag Race, the only thing we've ever screened for is charisma uniqueness nerve and talent. And that will never change.”

If RuPaul wants to play with the concept of gender, like he says, where people can exaggerate and lovingly parody femininity while tossing aside notions of masculinity, it should stand to reason that everybody else should be allowed to play as well. That said, it is his show and it is his right to do whatever he pleases with it. Maybe the real issue is that a single reality TV series shouldn’t be the sole definition of the wide-ranging and rule-bending world of drag. Drag, as a concept, should be open for everyone to define.

Tim Gibson - mygwork
 

Read more about the RuPaul controversy here:

http://www.vulture.com/2018/03/rupaul-on-drag-and-trans-identity.html

https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/6/17085244/rupaul-trans-women-drag-queens-interview-controversy

https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/rupaul-doubles-transphobic-comments-drag-race-queens-speak/

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