« Christian Siriano and Andy Cohen Gay Up Rockefeller Center |
Main
| Josh Beech by Hedi Slimane for Vogue Hommes International »
03/19/2008
When Drag Queens Attack
A bus passenger and a very young bigot learn the very important lesson that the last thing you want to do is mess with draq queens Mimi Plastique or Sharolaid.
AFTER THE JUMP (warning language NSFW)...
Posted 4:35 PM EST by Andy Towle in Drag Queens, News | Permalink
Like it?
Subscribe to FREE Towleroad daily headlines with our RSS feed!
RECENT STORIES:
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
YES! Those fuckin' bitches ROCK MY WORLD!!!
Thank you for standing up to the bigots, big and small and making them think twice. Too many times most of us just sit and think "ignore it", but it's time to stop ignoring and start stomping ass.
To those faggy prudes who think these Queens are "too much" or "poor taste", when you're getting your republican lovin' ass whipped for being just as queer as the rest of us, you remember how those Queens dealt with it and you should do the same.
Posted by: Bobby | Mar 19, 2008 9:27:02 PM
Is there a reason why drag queens insist on talking with a black souther hooker twang regardless of the fact that they might not be southern or black?
As for the videos, I fail to see the humor. Sad that gay men feel they have to behave like attention-seeking, loud, uneducated trash to make a point, it does nothing to help us as a community.
Posted by: Matty | Mar 19, 2008 9:40:17 PM
It's so sad when young boys talk like that. So much for the next generation, I guess...
Posted by: Mikey | Mar 19, 2008 10:00:21 PM
I think this behavior is pathetic. Sure, those people were rude but that drag queen is a clown, literally, and is all bark and no bite. I guarantee you she would not be so sass-mouthy if she were up against bigger opponents -- taking on a small child and an old man is hardly Stonewall courageous.
Posted by: Marc | Mar 19, 2008 10:13:40 PM
Marc, she didn't take him on because he is a child. That would be injury to a child, which is a felony. Maybe she's smarter than you think.
I have to say, I'm not the type to sit back and be abused. I've never started an argument with anyone, but I've finished a few. I don't think you always have to be an example. Sometimes, it's OK to teach a bully a lesson.
Posted by: David | Mar 19, 2008 11:21:33 PM
I've had the great pleasure of knowing several drag queens, both as performers and out of drag (as regular guys), and they are the best friends you can have. I wouldn't want to cross them, though, or there WOULD be hell to pay. Mace would be the least of the weapons my friends packed (they carried very small, lady-like guns in their purses).
These people are often the most outcast of society and have to have very hard defense mechanisms to survive. My friends were always there for me, and we always had a blast...too bad they always seemed to suffer (along with me at the time) with alcohol & drug problems. There's noone more fun at a party than a drunk drag queen with a gun!
Posted by: Chad | Mar 19, 2008 11:25:10 PM
With all due respect (and I was "raised" by drag queens so i *do* respect them), does no one think that, just maybe, these are publicity stunts? I mean, it sounded like the blonde *was* making a video on the train. And, just maybe, thousands/millions of internet viewers could help bring in the tips if they are also entertainers. Just thinking out loud... if what i say is not true, then props to the ladies for sticking up for themselves. I wish i would have done that when all my classmates were calling me faggot in high school.
Posted by: Joseph | Mar 19, 2008 11:28:52 PM
wow. lots of different emotions here.
i concur that it's these queens who liberated us ALL from the collective closet.
the dq on the el train: she is fierce. she is standing up and showing she won't be pushed around. awesome.
as for sharolaid; that is a comedic act. she is doing it for the laughs. is it always funny? no, not always, but i think it's part of her whole thing. she just gives what the peeps ask for.
as for clown drag etc etc. .. there are queens who ARE fierce and this is what they do. it is an art form. but so is not taking your drag too seriously.
have a laugh folks! and if you don't think it's funny, then don't watch.
*snap*
Posted by: Shirley Heezgay! | Mar 19, 2008 11:59:28 PM
Thank God for these bitches. So tired of these cowards who call people out in public venues where they know they'll be protected by the silent majority who more than than not won't do anything because they don't want to get involved. You know these two fuckers with the big mouths would be the first to call the cops and play the victims if anything were to go down. Stupid teenagers are the worst, because they know they are protected by the law and the shit ass parents. If that drag queen had done something you know the mom and kid would be right on CNN the next day talking about how the child was on his way to play his violin at the old folks home when he was brutally attacked for no reason by a drag queen.
Although I don't advocate violence, maybe if some jerks knew they might get their teeth knocked out or shot, things might be a little different.
Posted by: estremecido | Mar 20, 2008 4:23:35 AM
MATTY, if "gay" is not about accepting the diversity that up until the 1990s had always been part of the gay world, then fuck "gay" (or atleast bigoted gay men).
MARC, "boys" have thrown bottles at feminine males(in or out of drag) and left scars on our faces that we have to live with for the rest of our lives.
Nobody is telling any gay man to socialize with drag queens or fem queens. Just be careful what bigoted comments you let come out of your mouth, or you will get "read" for not being as masculine as you think are. Then y'all get evil. That is a queen's number defense mechanism within the gay world. And it works.
If a feminine male can tell that you are gay before we meet you, or before we see you in a gay venue, how the hell do you think we were able to "clock" you for being gay? Obviously, many "mainstream" gay guys aren't as "butch" as they think they are.
I wish I had the capacity to forgive like my "Sis" (THE QUEEN) on the west coast. You, darlin', are so much more simpatico--no wonder you got a husband, and all I got is Brian Pumper dvds.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Mar 20, 2008 9:31:54 AM
I love the "a faggot is a pile of sticks"! He/She is right. What mystifies me the most is the kid was smart enough to run into a store where there were other people and then the adults just stood there! There's an adult drag queen chasing and cursing out a little kid and nobody did a thing! All's well that ends well. The kid has a story that he will dine out on for years and years and the drag queen stood up for himself/herself in the best possible way.
Posted by: tenspoonsofspin | Mar 20, 2008 10:53:27 AM
Shameful. Disgraceful. Loud obscenities and language not fit for any kind of public discourse, delivered by men who because of their actions will become de facto representations of gay men simply because they're loud, crass, and ignorant. A previous poster put it best; how brave is it to chase down pre-adolescent children or engage old men in vulgar discourse?
Does anyone really think this kind of behavior benefits our community? If so, then I have a suggestion for you: (1) band together and form an "all-gay" ghetto where you will neither be subject to slurs or violence (did anyone notice the absence of physical threats by the old man and kid? Yeah, you were under so much attack, you just HAD to "defend" yourself) and then will no longer need to be self-appointed poster children for the rest of us in the gay community. We don't need your loud, ill-made up mouths to speak for US, by default or otherwise. Me and my suburban, sweater-wearing, cocktail-drinking buddies will continue to spend our time in productive activities like volunteering in non-profit organizations that expose str8 folk to gays through community service, or donating the money we raise at gallery crawls to worthy gay causes.
And Derrick, why don't you just come out and admit that you'll take the side of whomever you see as being "oppressed," whether its accurate or not. Maybe you need to talk a look at what it is about victims and being a victim that you find so attractive.
Posted by: abracadaver | Mar 20, 2008 12:26:32 PM
I grew up in Village during the late 70's and I can personally tell you it was the drag queens and not the "boiz" that would put a serious hurting on your ass with a quickness if you came forth "the wrong way"!
I can hardly count the times I heard the line, "Bitch, don't try me! I just had my shot of 'mones and I will turn your mothafukin' ass out!".
The girls HAD to be tough in order to "work" to make their "coins" and not get beat down every night.
And ain't a damn thang changed.
Posted by: banjiboi | Mar 20, 2008 12:33:09 PM
Abracadaver's comment illustrates some of the issues we have in our community... now that it's easier to come out and stay out (at least easier than it was 50 years ago), the more conservative or "mainstream" gays often feel threatened or embarrassed by those who don't fit that mold. I don't think it's as much a race thing as it is a generalized discomfort with those whose priorities and social behaviors reveal a different socioeconomic status than what we're familiar with.
That queen's behavior wouldn't fly here in Madison, Wisconsin... but in her own neighborhood it might not be so outrageous or out of place. And she's not much more outspoken than her female cohorts.
She's not speaking for the gay community. The only people who would think that would be people who would be hostile toward us no matter WHAT image we presented to them. Give the queens a break, and just a little bit of respect for being authentically themeselves in a world that most certainly punishes them for it.
Posted by: The Milkman | Mar 20, 2008 12:48:05 PM
Hmmmmm. I sense a difference not only of opinion, but most importantly, of perspective.
Not everybody's experience in the gay community is filled with nice, quiet tea parties on Saturday 'afts followed by a quaint Sunday brunch to discuss fund raising with the "girls". And as for fund raising, there are homeless gay teen of all races and backgrounds living on the streets at the mercy of the police, fag bashers OF ALL AGES, and I do refer to little cretin in the video. Verbal homophobia can be just as hurtful and damaging as physical violence. And some of us here in the city DO spend quite a bit of time doing outreach on the front lines at places like the GMHC and The Osborne Association, helping those with HIV cope with homelessness, addiction, abuse, and incarceration. NOT throwing "Smart" cocktail party/fundraisers to absolve some bourgeois suburban straight's liberal guilt or otherwise. appetite for No, the kid in the video didn't deserve to be harmed physically and I'm sure you noticed the queen, although she made some poor choices, didn't at any time threaten the kid with such. At worst, she engaged the little monster far longer than she should have.
Please do not forget that if it wasn't for those loud, obnoxious drag queens, there would not have been a Stonewall.
Posted by: banjiboi | Mar 20, 2008 12:54:35 PM
Hmmmmm. I sense a difference not only of opinion, but most importantly, of perspective.
Not everybody's experience in the gay community is filled with nice, quiet tea parties on Saturday 'afts followed by a quaint Sunday brunch to discuss fund raising with the "girls". And as for fund raising, there are homeless gay teen of all races and backgrounds living on the streets at the mercy of the police, fag bashers OF ALL AGES, and I do refer to little cretin in the video. Verbal homophobia can be just as hurtful and damaging as physical violence. And some of us here in the city DO spend quite a bit of time doing outreach on the front lines at places like the GMHC and The Osborne Association, helping those with HIV cope with homelessness, addiction, abuse, and incarceration. NOT throwing "Smart" cocktail party/fundraisers to absolve some bourgeois suburban straight's liberal guilt or otherwise. appetite for No, the kid in the video didn't deserve to be harmed physically and I'm sure you noticed the queen, although she made some poor choices, didn't at any time threaten the kid with such. At worst, she engaged the little monster far longer than she should have.
Please do not forget that if it wasn't for those loud, obnoxious drag queens, there would not have been a Stonewall.
Posted by: banjiboi | Mar 20, 2008 12:55:56 PM
I take exception with Milkman's assertion that the only people who would see these men as representative of the gay community are those who would be hostile to us, no matter what. I volunteer for a very worthwhile organization, GLENDA (Gay and Lesbian Neighborhood Development Association). Our motto is "Promoting Diversity Through Community Service." We partner with other non-profit, primarily "str8" organizations with the mission of not only improving the community at large for all people, but to raise the awareness of others who may not normally interact with LGBT folk.
I can't tell you through my years of experience I've been told, "Wow, I thought all gay guys were loud-mouthed drag queens" or "Gee, I thought all gay guys cruised public toilets and were generally disease ridden," or even "Gosh, I didn't realize lesbians could be so pretty!"
People's minds can be changed, for better or worse, good or ill. And I stand firm in my contention that the kind of behavior exhibited by the men in this video does our community absolutely no good, and actually promotes hatred and violence against LGBT people. Wear a dress all you want; I not only don't care but applaud your individuality. But chasing down children and threatening old men is simply antisocial, inappropriate, and dare I say it, twistedly neurotic. Go to therapy "girls," you'll be doing yourselves and the rest of us a huge favor.
Posted by: abracadaver | Mar 20, 2008 12:56:25 PM
Please excuse the double post with the glaring typo.
Posted by: banjiboi | Mar 20, 2008 12:57:46 PM
And P.S. -- I wasn't raised in suburbia, having quaint "tea parties." I worked my way there, against no small odds. I have been the victim of anti-gay violence and discrimination. My experience is no different, no less valid, and certainly no more "insulated" than yours.
Posted by: abracadaver | Mar 20, 2008 12:58:17 PM
ABRACADAVER:
Oh, cry me a river.
If anything, having gone through what you have, one would think you'd have more compassion and understanding for those gays who do not have the opportunities which you enjoy right now. And I find your charity claims to be quite disingenuous, citing your obvious lack of concern for those who weren't fortunate enough to escape to WhitePicketFenceLand
Posted by: banjiboi | Mar 20, 2008 1:13:07 PM
ABRACADAVER:
How do you think feminine gay boys go from being meek, timid and passive pre-pubuscents to firey, loud, defensive queens?
Often gay boys in highschool can be the worst enemies of feminine gay boys, "Look at that faggot" "Why does he have to be so obvious, I'm not like that."
Yeah, like I said, I wish I could be forgiving, and let go those bad memories caused by "mainstream" gay highschool classmates, but there are a lot of gay men who I just don't like and never will--and they tend to be the gay men who believe that "normalcy" will make "gay" more acceptable to our society. Man, where the drag queens live...all the "normalcy" in the world aint gonna' get a homo accepted.
Don't get me wrong, I admire many "traditionally masculine" gay men. But if they are secure in their masculinity, they don't feel a need to "put down" us sissies and drag queens. And you DON'T have to worry about us trying to mess with your gay dingdongs either. We tend to like rough trade...not violent, just rough--like that Beckham boy.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Mar 20, 2008 1:18:12 PM
My compassion is reserved for those who, like me (and I assume, like you) came from disadvantage and refused to let it beat them. My understanding is reserved for those with true bravery, the kind that doesn't lament a lack of opportunity, or worse, expect it to be handed to them, but go out and make their own opportunities. You'll notice that if you read my posts carefully that I'm not "crying" for anyone, including myself. I'm pointing out, and will continue to point, and will refuse to be silenced by apologists like yourself, that the only way to change the world is to get off of your dead a*s, up on your dying feet, and BECOME the change that you want to see in the world. If you want tolerance and respect, give tolerance and respect. If you want opportunity, create it. If you want to live your life as a demoralized, angry, maladjusted malcontent, then accept and embrace your choice and quit blaming others.
Posted by: abracadaver' | Mar 20, 2008 1:19:59 PM
Wow, I really f----ked up "prepubescent" LOL sorry. Bethca' most drag queens can spell better than MOI.
Hell, JIMMYBOYO can spell better than me. Hope you had a great birthday celebration last Sunday, JIMMY.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Mar 20, 2008 1:22:40 PM
DERRICK:
What is it about refraining from vulgarity and threats of physical violence ("Lil mutha fuckah, I'll beat yo AZZ!!!) and engaging in civil discourse (the "a faggot is a bundle of sticks" comment is the one example this disturbed man actually posited), and refusing to be a victim by making yourself more of a victim, that qualifies as "normalcy"? Sorry you were excluded in your youth. So was I. I was "too smart, too pretty and too 'artsy' to be anythign but a fag" as my classmates so delicately put it. Now its time for you to cry me a river. Get over it, we're grown men. The only destiny or fate in this world is that which you create for yourself.
Contrary to popular belief, experiences don't shape our outlook; our outlook shapes our experiences. You will see and experience exactly what you expect to in this world. Your comment that you "never will" like us "normal" gay men proves that point.
Posted by: abracadaver | Mar 20, 2008 1:29:52 PM
@ ABRACADAVER
Ohhhh. I get it now. You must live in a log cabin in WhitePicketFenceLand....
I see no reason to engage you further. Your tiny mind is set. However, I will leave you with this: I find it rather ironic that you live in an environment which at times fosters the most vicious, and heinous types of homophobia. Verbal and otherwise. I should hope that you will not experience anything so unfortunate.
Have A Lovely Day.
Posted by: banjiboi | Mar 20, 2008 1:33:49 PM