Paparazzi Josh, Sara & Clair Billy’S Bartender & DJ Flank Bar @ Good Friends Bar Baron Chuck @ 4 Seasons Coca Milian on Stage @ Oz in Metairie

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Paparazzi Josh, Sara & Clair Billy’S Bartender & DJ Flank Bar @ Good Friends Bar Baron Chuck @ 4 Seasons Coca Milian on Stage @ Oz in Metairie Drew Aizpurua, Paul Harris & Frankie Wingerter celebrate their b-days in Winston celebrates Todd's b-day Oz’s Ruby Slipper lounge @ Tubby’s Golden Lantern New Bar Barons Toby & Al hail Aletha & Bartender of the Year from Club LAX, formerly Jeff @ Lafitte’s Sanctuary in Metairie snap paparazzi Josh, Sara & Clair Billy’s bartender & DJ flank bar @ Good Friends Bar baron Chuck @ 4 Seasons Coca Milian on stage @ Oz in Metairie Tubby’s Golden Lantern Bartender Josh Brandon Montgomery, Joey Sammy Naquin & Randi Holmes Benitez, Brodie Meche, Belinda @ Bourbon Pub Bee & Ryan Exsterstein @ Oz 4 Seasons Bar Baron Chuck with Chris & Devin Koo, Marty & Don @ JohnPaul’s Keith & Peter join House DJ Eddie @ Club LAX Oz’s Tommy Elias with Bourbon Pub & Parade’s Julien Artressia & Leggio ~ New Orleans, Metairie Photos by Devin Black, Tony Ringing in The New Year Louis Sachs Legendary Nicole Dubois on stage Gary & some of his buddies @ @ the Parade Lords of Leather Fetish Ball @ JohnPaul’s Susan Reyes, Girlnation Nyc & Shelbie Heart, Corynne Deville & Jonny Passion & Cat having a owner Sandy Sachs @ Bourbon Monica Synclaire @ Oz cocktail @ Club LAX Pub & Parade Richie & Keith @ JohnPaul’s 26 • The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM • Jan. 18-31, 2011 • Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide• GayMardiGras.COM Gay EasterParade.COM • SouthernDecadence.COM • Jan. 18-31, 2011 • The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM • 27 because they are so new and their website pub. They have daily drink specials and is not up yet, I do not have a lot of info about you can keep up with their events and out & about in mobile their schedule of events. Keep tuned in for specials at www.themidtownpub.com. more info. I have attached quite of few photos of In midtown just minutes from down- the past few years at a glance (see page town Mobile there is The Midtown Pub. 24). Great times were had by all right here They offer Sunday Brunch with Pro Foot- in the wonderful city of Mobile and I hope by Bob Brunson ball, Karaoke on Tuesday’s, Amateur male that all of you outside our city will take a Email: [email protected] dancers on Wednesday, dancing on Fri- little time out this year to join us for some day and Saturday nights and college foot- of our great events throughout the year. "Just a little history in The Krewe of Pheonix will be holding ball on Saturday evenings. They also have There is so much growth and so many their 2nd Annual Ball “Tributes” this year on the greatest jukebox in town! Owners, wonderful changes happening in our beau- preparation for a great Friday, February 4 at Fort Whiting Armory. Darrell and James do a great job and keep tiful city by the bay. Come on out and see New Year!" Congratulations! It’s wonderful to see that a very friendly atmosphere going at their for yourself! Happy New Year!!! our community is growing and is capable nother year has come and gone of supporting two organizations. Keep up and Mobile has once again the good work. You can check out their the pink pastor Aproved that it just keeps mov- website for more information at ing up on the charts of great places to www.kreweofpheonix.com. enjoy whether you are gay or not. The gay All the bars in Mobile are filled with community in Mobile has grown leaps and friendly staff offering you that good ol’ by Rev. Clinton Crawshaw bounds and offers such a great variety of southern hospitality and a mixture of activi- Email: [email protected] bars that have so much to offer in the form ties throughout the week. BigEasyMCC.COM of entertainment. Mobile also offers won- At B-Bob’s, many changes have been derful gay friendly hotels, bed and break- made over the past few years. There is a Devon servicing construction workers on a fasts, incredible restaurants and many tour- Honoring the Past & great new bar upstairs with a new stage mattress in the back of a Ford Van. Brian ist attractions to fit almost anyone’s lifestyle that has been raised to make it much Looking to the Future was abused as a kid, and brought up in and interests. easier for seeing the shows. Jerry contin- children’s homes, so that by the time I met Our Pride festival takes place in April... ew year always brings to mind ues to bring you awesome entertainment him he was fascinating, but seriously dam- this year on April 29, 30 and May 1. Mobile the future, and occasionally throughout the year. There are drag shows aged. Alabama Pride continues to grow and is Nthe present, as in ‘I am going every Thursday, Friday and Saturday that Brian’s life made wonderful anecdotes one awesome celebration for the GLBT to the gym’ or ‘I will NOT eat the King cake’. include a regular cast of very talented but was hard to live with, on one occasion community. It includes daytime events in I have however spent a lot of time thinking performers including Miss Cie, Venus he bribed a psychiatric nurse at a hospital downtown Mobile’s Historic Bienville about the past just lately, and especially Shante’ Da Viss, and this years incompa- he was being treated at for depression with Square with vendors from all across the the special role we all have in keeping alive rable addition Regine Phillips. Also, em- the offer of sex, got riotously drunk with country. The Pride celebration also offers those who live within us, and no longer live ceeing the Thursday and Saturday shows him and cavorted down the main street of a wonderful “Mardi Gras like” parade with in the world. as well as hosting the hilarious and fun Torquay sitting in a shopping cart singing fabulous floats and many different bars Over the years I have encountered A Tuesday night bingo is Mobile’s very own showtunes! The nurse was dismissed, and organizations joining in to celebrate LOT of death, maybe a hundred and fifty Miss Gay Pride and Miss B-Bob’s, Brian moved on. the pride of the south throughout our Gulf funerals, six suicides of those dear to me, Jawakatema Davenport. B-Bob’s also of- He used to make spoof porno movies Coast area. It also offers a wonderful array a spell as a hospice chaplain tending and fers you great guest entertainers through- with names like ‘gymslip jamboree’ and of entertainment from local talent to na- befriending those close to death and sev- out the year such as many world renowned ‘front bottom fandango’ (front bottom in tional and internationally acclaimed re- eral close encounters with my own mortal- drag performers from RuPaul’s drag race England is baby talk for vagina) with him in cording artists. In past years we have ity. (ie; Bebe Zahara Benet, Pandora Boxx, bad drag performing half hearted sex acts enjoyed artists such as Josh Zuckerman, This could be depressing, but instead, Nina Flowers), Australia’s Drag Diva with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth Cynthia Manley, Bonnie Pointer of the it has become a matter of PRIVELAGE to Courtney Act, Miss Gay Florida Amy and a bottle of gin in his hand. This used to Pointer Sisters, Abigail, Kristine W, two- me. For some of those departed I am the Demilo, former Miss Gay Universe Candi amuse him immensely; his main claim to time Grammy Award winning Jennifer only one left to mourn them and remember Stratton and many, many more. fame was that he could smoke a cigarette Holliday and many more. The three day them. When I say their names I may be the B-Bob’s has also had internationally from a highly unusual orifice. He had an long Mobile Alabama Pride Festival is defi- only person on Earth left to speak their acclaimed recording artists such as Tif- imaginary Aunt – ‘Aunty Glad’ who he used nitely an event not to be missed so you names. Brian Smith, Hilda Vale, Ivy Bun- fany, Expose’, Thea Austin, Pepper to blame whenever he turned up late, or should mark your calendars now and start ker, Dolly Button, Mrs. Firth, Mr. and Mrs. Mashay, Abigail, Amber, Ultra Nate’, Martha whenever money went missing. making those hotel arrangements. Keep Godliman - all people who lived some- Wash, Jeanie Tracy, Vicki Shepard, Colton Brian moved in with an elderly queen an eye on their website at times extraordinary lives, but with no-one Ford, Jacinta and even Aiiiya from Real called Leslie Vinnicombe, a local florist, www.mobilealabamapride.com for special left to tell their stories. World Cancun. B-Bob’s hosts multiple who sported an enormous blonde bouffant deals on hotels, the schedule of events I am beginning to write the story of my drag pageants, is host to the Gulf Coasts hairdo, and who lived in a white and gold and the entertainment line-up for this year life as it interacts with these precious and Bear and Leather contests and is also one apartment filled to the brim with Ostrich spectacular event. Kudo’s go out the the extraordinary souls. The first chapter I have of the largest and hottest dance clubs and feathers. Leslie’s only daughter was to be Board of Directors and all the volunteers begun is titled ‘My life with Brian’, and I on the Gulf Coast with a video bar, pool married, and he foolishly took along Brian; for the incredible job that they continue to thought I would tell some of his story in this table, darts and vending machines down- at the reception Brian went up to the do with our Festival each year.
Recommended publications
  • Gaymardigras.COM • Gayneworleans.COM • Southerndecadence.COM • Oct
    GayMardiGras.COM • GayNewOrleans.COM • SouthernDecadence.COM • Oct. 9-22, 2012 • The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM • 21 joint stumble. You must practice, prac- might not notice you, going shopping, reVIEW...books, movies, cds tice, practice. and a rooftop cocktail party. Again body Design elements in a zombie abode and breath odor vary according to the include a black and white television set situation. Places to avoid are beaches, tuned to static, a rusty, broken shop- military bases, hospitals, nursing by Blanche ping cart, crumbling bricks by the fire- homes, and the airport. Coming out as Email: [email protected] place, a freestanding toilet, buckets a zombie to family and friends may be Photo by Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM filled with mysterious liquids, old metal risky. Tell your mother first and you will coat hangers, heavy chains, dead be home free with everyone else. Get hen I pulled up to my plants, a pile of mannequin body parts, friends really drunk; going on a long trip building one afternoon smashed vases and old, broken furni- is good. Try having children, puppies, Wlast week I noticed a ture. or old people around. large box from FedEx at my door. I was Last but not least are your zombie ZOMBIE EYE FOR THE LIVING curious as I hadn’t ordered anything. social skills. When hanging with a mixed GUY is a fun read. It could be a coffee- The last time I received a package this crowd you will not want to smell like a table book, a gift, a guide for your big, the Saints had won the Super Bowl zombie.
    [Show full text]
  • A Look at 'Fishy Drag' and Androgynous Fashion: Exploring the Border
    This is a repository copy of A look at ‘fishy drag’ and androgynous fashion: Exploring the border spaces beyond gender-normative deviance for the straight, cisgendered woman. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/121041/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Willson, JM orcid.org/0000-0002-1988-1683 and McCartney, N (2017) A look at ‘fishy drag’ and androgynous fashion: Exploring the border spaces beyond gender-normative deviance for the straight, cisgendered woman. Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty, 8 (1). pp. 99-122. ISSN 2040-4417 https://doi.org/10.1386/csfb.8.1.99_1 (c) 2017, Intellect Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ 1 JACKI WILLSON University of Leeds NICOLA McCARTNEY University of the Arts, London and University of London A look at ‘fishy drag’ and androgynous fashion: Exploring the border spaces beyond gender-normative deviance for the straight, cisgendered woman Abstract This article seeks to re-explore and critique the current trend of androgyny in fashion and popular culture and the potential it may hold for gender deviant dress and politics.
    [Show full text]
  • U Au S a Ace As
    u au s a ace i ay C is as F'RIDAY, DECEM13ER 23RD This Holiday Season we have a gift for SHOW TIME IS 11:30PM YARA SOFIA you. The only stop in Texas for the'RuPaul' s Originally from Manati, Puerto Rico, Yara Drag Race HolieayChris1mas Show is at has been performing drag professionally for 6 years, and credits Nina Flowers for sourn BEACH. This Holiday S~cu1ar giving her the first opportunity to perform. will include an assortment of holiday favorites, Inspired by her appearance on Rupaul's including solo performances & production Drag Race, Yara has made many numbers. appearances around the country since the show aired. Yara is a unique blend of talent, beauty, charisma, and humor. AutographIMeet & Greet Party MARIAH BALENCIAGA following show. Strikingly 6' 2" tall, Mariah Paris Balen- ciaga hails from Georgia. Her beauty was a Free Cover Before 10PM with sight to behold in her appearances as a VIPText. $12 atthe door contestant in Season 3. Following her appearances on Rupaul' s Drag Race, Mariah has also starred on Rupaul's Drag Bottle ServicelTable Reservations: U. Mariah is a veteran of the ballroom email [email protected] dancing scene, and has been a hairdresser for the past 13 years. ALEXIS MATEO Alexis finished in the top 3 of the recent Rupaul's Drag Race! Alexis travels exten- sively as a representative ofRupaul's Drag Race. Alexis studied Dance & Choreogra- phy in Puerto Rico. She has won the Inter Fashion Award for Best Fashion Designer Enter to win and moved to Florida to become a an Apple iPad2 dancer/performer at Disney World.
    [Show full text]
  • Jorge Flores, Known As Nina Flowers, Was Born in Puerto Rico and Now Lives in Denver, Colorado with His Partner Antonio
    ChicagoPride.com Interviews December 2, 2009 Interview with Nina Flowers By ChicagoPride.com The fabulous and fierce Nina Flowers, one of the finalists on the first season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ makes an outrageous and ‘naughty’ Chicago debut Saturday, December 5th at Spin Nightclub. Jorge Flores, known as Nina Flowers, was born in Puerto Rico and now lives in Denver, Colorado with his partner Antonio. He got his start while attending beauty school in Puerto Rico and has been performing for 15 years. He is known professionally as a makeup artist, entertainer, DJ and producer. Drawing inspiration from European Rock Artist, Nina Hagen, the 35-year-old entertainer is quite distinctive with a muscular physique, tattoos and edgy costumes. Before gaining national attention on ‘Drag Race,’ the Puerto Rican drag queen developed a solid following with live performances and numerous YouTube videos. Nina Flowers just released a new single, “Loca.” CP: Nina, how do you describe yourself? Tell us… who is Nina Flowers? NF: My name is Jorge Flores, and I created the character of Nina Flowers. Nina Flowers is an illusion. I describe her as colorful, energetic, charismatic, and entertaining. Nina has a crazy personality, but is very approachable, and she doesn’t play the cattiness games that some queens may have. In all, I love to entertain – and that is one way I can do that! CP: You’re from Puerto Rico… share an experience of life in the Caribbean. NF: The experience of living in the Caribbean is extremely beautiful – that includes the people, the weather, my family, my friends, and my fans.
    [Show full text]
  • “It's Not Personal, It's Drag”: the Sassy Politics of Rupaul's Drag Race
    Felipe González Silva 2078621G MLitt Film and Television Studies Dissertation – September 2015 “It’s Not Personal, It’s Drag”: The Sassy Politics of RuPaul’s Drag Race Supervised by Professor Karen Lury University of Glasgow Word count: 14,840 Beneficiario COLFUTURO 2014 Abstract After the success of reality competition shows such as Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model in the United States, RuPaul’s Drag Race reached the small screen to be the first TV programme of its kind to feature drag queens. Through textual analysis and theories of queer and feminist studies, this thesis joins the fundamental debates about drag and its role in society. With these debates as a starting point, this thesis is dedicated to determining the position of Drag Race within the tension between gay politics and queer politics that lies in the programme’s construction of what drag is supposed to be. By focusing on the relation of masculinity and femininity in drag, and on the role of sleaziness in drag, this thesis argues that RuPaul’s Drag Race refuses to be located unequivocally as a project of either gay or queer politics. This reading does not only propose an innovative take on the programme but it also manages to further problematise the distinction between the two “kinds” of politics. Key words: RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag, gay politics, queer politics, femininity, masculinity, sleaziness, gender, race ii Acknowledgements I would like to show gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Karen Lury. Her impressive knowledge and sensibility about television and academia in general, along with her commitment to my project, helped me develop this dissertation successfully.
    [Show full text]
  • Calling All the Queens! Visibilidades De Gênero No Programa De TV Rupaul’S Drag Race1
    Intercom – Sociedade Brasileira de Estudos Interdisciplinares da Comunicação XVII Congresso de Ciências da Comunicação na Região Nordeste – Natal/RN – 02 a 05/07/2015 Calling All The Queens! Visibilidades de gênero no programa de TV RuPaul’s Drag Race1 Joseylson Fagner dos SANTOS2 Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN), Mossoró, RN Resumo: O presente artigo se propõe a discutir a visibilidade de indivíduos e identidades drag queen a partir da veiculação de RuPaul’s Drag Race, programa de televisão transmitido em canal por assinatura no território norte-americano. O texto faz parte de um estudo preliminar a respeito das aproximações culturais entre a cena estadunidense e a brasileira, pela qual circulam referências sobre personagens e experiências drag queen. Para tanto, faz uma análise qualitativa de duas temporadas (2013 e 2014) do programa e suas principais articulações sobre as questões de gênero e identidade sexual que fundamentam a posterior análise e discussão de outros experimentos no Brasil. A reflexão iniciada aqui é pautada pela reflexão sobre como as referências apresentadas no programa permitem articular elementos como a visibilidade social dessas personagens na cena LGBT, e a articulação de questões de gênero e das sexualidades na difusão em meios de comunicação de massa. Palavras-chave: drag queen; papéis de gênero; comunicação de massa; televisão; RuPaul’s Drag Race. INTRODUÇÃO Who do you think you are? I'm telling the truth now We're all born naked And the rest is drag — RuPaul Presença irreverente e icônica na cena LGBT norte-americana desde a metade dos anos 1980, a figura andrógina de RuPaul Andre Charles – que posteriormente ficou conhecida apenas por RuPaul – tornou-se um fenômeno de mídia após surgir como drag queen3 nos meios de comunicação de massa dos Estados Unidos como ator, cantor e diretor numa variedade de filmes, programas de rádio e de TV, propagandas, eventos sociais e casas noturnas, além dos videoclipes musicais para promover álbuns gravados como cantora.
    [Show full text]
  • Rupaul's Drag Race from Screens To
    ‘Tens, Tens, Tens Across the Board’: Representation, Remuneration, and Repercussion – RuPaul’s Drag Race from Screens to Streets Max Mehran A Thesis in The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Film Studies) at Concordia University Montréal, Quebec, Canada January 2020 Ó Max Mehran, 2020 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Max Mehran Entitled: ‘Tens, Tens, Tens Across the Board’: Representation, Remuneration, and Repercussion – RuPaul’s Drag Race from Screens to Streets and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Film Studies) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final Examining Committee: ________________________________ Chair Luca Caminati ________________________________Examiner Haidee Wasson ________________________________Examiner Glyn Davis ________________________________Supervisor Kay Dickinson Approved by ________________________ Graduate Program Director Luca Caminati ________________________ Dean of Faculty Rebecca Duclos Date: January 20th, 2020 iii ABSTRACT ‘Tens, Tens, Tens Across the Board’: Representation, Remuneration, and Repercussion – RuPaul’s Drag Race from Screens to Streets Max Mehran Since its inception, RuPaul’s Drag Race (Drag Race) (2009-) has pitted drag queens against each other in a series of challenges testing acting, singing, and sewing skills. Drag Race continues to become more profitable and successful by the year and arguably shapes cultural ideas of queer performances in manifold ways. This project investigates the impacts of exploitative labour practices that emerge from the show, the commodification of drag when represented on screen, and how the show influences drag and queer performances off screen.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fiercest Queens in the History of "Rupaul's Drag Race" Return to Battle It out on Logo's New Series "Rupaul's All Stars Drag Race"
    The Fiercest Queens in the History of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Return to Battle it Out on Logo's New Series "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race" Pandora Boxx, Tammie Brown, Nina Flowers, Jujubee, Mimi Imfurst, Manila Luzon, Alexis Mateo, Chad Michaels, Raven, Latrice Royale, Shannel and Yara Sofia Vie to Secure a Spot in the "Drag Race Hall of Fame" and $100K Celebrity Guest Judges Include: Rosie Perez, Ross Matthews, Rachel Hunter, Vickie Lawrence, Busy Phillips, Rachel Dratch, Janice Dickinson, Wendy McClendon-Covey, Elvira, Beth Ditto and Cheri Oteri "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race" Premieres Monday, October 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT Followed by the Season Premiere of "Untucked: All Stars" at 10:00 PM ET/PT NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- They come armed with stilettos, feathers and sequins, prepared for a battle where one false move—or eyelash—could spell doom. They are the best-of-the-best, the top queens from "RuPaul's Drag Race" Seasons 1-4, and they're ready to lip-synch for their lives to determine which All-Star will walk away with $100K and a spot in the "Drag Race Hall of Fame." Join RuPaul as he welcomes back the most celebrated queens of the past for Logo's new series "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race" -- the wildest, most jaw-dropping, and outrageous Drag Race yet. Comprised of six, one-hour episodes, "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race" premieres Monday, October 22 at 9 PM ET/PT on Logo with a special "Rupersized" episode containing 10 bonus minutes.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Reading Rupaul's Drag Race
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Reading RuPaul’s Drag Race: Queer Memory, Camp Capitalism, and RuPaul’s Drag Empire A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance by Carl Douglas Schottmiller 2017 © Copyright by Carl Douglas Schottmiller 2017 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Reading RuPaul’s Drag Race: Queer Memory, Camp Capitalism, and RuPaul’s Drag Empire by Carl Douglas Schottmiller Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance University of California, Los Angeles, 2017 Professor David H Gere, Chair This dissertation undertakes an interdisciplinary study of the competitive reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race, drawing upon approaches and perspectives from LGBT Studies, Media Studies, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, and Performance Studies. Hosted by veteran drag performer RuPaul, Drag Race features drag queen entertainers vying for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” Since premiering in 2009, the show has become a queer cultural phenomenon that successfully commodifies and markets Camp and drag performance to television audiences at heretofore unprecedented levels. Over its nine seasons, the show has provided more than 100 drag queen artists with a platform to showcase their talents, and the Drag Race franchise has expanded to include multiple television series and interactive live events. The RuPaul’s Drag Race phenomenon provides researchers with invaluable opportunities not only to consider the function of drag in the 21st Century, but also to explore the cultural and economic ramifications of this reality television franchise. ii While most scholars analyze RuPaul’s Drag Race primarily through content analysis of the aired television episodes, this dissertation combines content analysis with ethnography in order to connect the television show to tangible practices among fans and effects within drag communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Realness Over Reality: Analyzing Gender Binary Deconstruction in Rupaul's Drag Race
    Bowling Green State University ScholarWorks@BGSU Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies 2018: Borders and Borderlands Apr 7th, 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM Realness Over Reality: Analyzing Gender Binary Deconstruction in RuPaul’s Drag Race Jonah Wilson Bowling Green State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/rbc Part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Other Film and Media Studies Commons Wilson, Jonah, "Realness Over Reality: Analyzing Gender Binary Deconstruction in RuPaul’s Drag Race" (2018). Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies. 6. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/rbc/2018conference/011/6 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Events at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@BGSU. Wilson 1 Jo Wilson Ray Browne Popular Culture Conference, Spring 2018 Realness over Reality: Analyzing Gender Binary Deconstruction in RuPaul’s Drag Race Following the 2008 elections: twenty-nine out of fifty U.S. states legalized same-sex marriage (Liu), Stu Rasmussen, the first openly transgender mayor was elected in the country (Wong), and then-President Barack Obama appointed the first openly transgender woman to a cabinet position (Riley). After talking to producers beginning in 1998, RuPaul Charles premiered his namesake reality show, RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) in 2009 (Daems 14). The show, with the potential to break down barriers of gender expression and sexuality, has had a fair share of controversies—particularly surrounding transphobia and misogyny.
    [Show full text]
  • Puerto Rican Drag
    Acevedo-Reyes, HM 2021 Puerto Rican Drag. Anthurium, 17(1): 4, 1–3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33596/anth.451 REVIEW Puerto Rican Drag H. Manuel Acevedo-Reyes University of Virginia, US [email protected] Review of Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes. Translocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance. University of Michigan Press, 2021. 356 pages. Keywords: Puerto Rico; Drag; Trans Studies; Queer; Gender and Sexuality; Latinx On February 24th 2020, the lifeless body of Alexa Negrón Luciano, a homeless transgender woman, was found in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. Her body was found hours after a female McDonald’s costume accused her of using the women’s bathroom in order to spy on other women with a mirror. In the hours between the accusation and the finding of her body, Alexa suffered from harassment, and violence, both verbal and physical (Roure). The story of Alexa shows the precarity and vulnerability of individuals who dare to chal- lenge dominant views of gender and sexuality in the colonial space of Puerto Rico. In Translocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes aims to provide a new analytic lens with which to investigate the ways in which trans and drag performers reject and/or assimilate into hegemonic ideologies of gender, sexuality and race and its intersection with national identity, class and justice. This work can be seen as a “crónica, testimonio, or auto-ethnographic reflection of a self-identified Puerto Rican transloca” (6). Indeed, there is a constant presence of the self, often represented as part of a collective identity expressed through the collective pronoun, we.
    [Show full text]
  • An In-Depth Analysis of Inherent Racism
    Running head: CRITICISMS OF NORMALIZED MARKETING STRATEGIES Criticisms of Normalized Marketing Strategies: An In-Depth Analysis of Inherent Racism and Gender Conformity in the World of RuPaul’s Drag Race By: Jeremy Houston A Major Research Paper presented to Ryerson University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Professional Communication Supervisor: Dr. Marty Fink CRITICISMS OF NORMALIZED MARKETING STRATEGIES Author’s Declaration for Electronic Submission of a Major Research Paper I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this MRP. This is a true copy of the MRP, including any required final revisions. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this MRP to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this MRP by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my MRP may be made electronically available to the public. 2 CRITICISMS OF NORMALIZED MARKETING STRATEGIES Abstract This paper showcases how inherent racism and gender conformity are enforced by the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise via promotional material, episode content, types of queens featured and judges’ commentary between the first and ninth season of the television series. The research aims to understand how the shift from a once LGBTQ+ specific market to a mainstream audience has further perpetuated the idealized forms of beauty and femininity. The content analysis of the first and ninth season showcases how RPDR is seeking to fit a pre-constructed stereotype created by the ‘imagined’ heteronormative/cisgender audience since becoming mainstream.
    [Show full text]