Opinion: Drag kings often struggle to receive recognition, even within the LGBTQ+ community
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“There’s something different about the drag king community. There’s an underlying understanding there, an instant connection. We all have a similar experience, which creates an immediate bond,” Heavy Cream, a drag king local to Eugene, said.
Drag is an art form that is always changing. It is subject to the tolerance of the societies around it and what dominates, or scandalizes, modern culture. Only a few decades ago, one of the only places someone could see a drag performance was at late-night underground clubs, which were under constant threat of police raids.
Now, drag artists are accessible on TV screens and locally at events like drag brunches and pride parades. They go on daytime talk shows and star in competition reality shows centered on their looks and performances. Just like the wider LGBTQ+ community, drag performers still face many hardships. At the beginning of 2023, several states under conservative control began concerted political attacks against drag performers.
This has mainly come in the form of “drag ban” laws, which are thinly veiled attempts to ban the expression of transgender and gender nonconforming people. Most of them have been held up or struck down in state courts, but that doesn’t get rid of the underlying hatred behind creating them. The joy and creativity with which drag performers subvert and play with gender can never be stamped out, but it’s threatened by the current wave of transphobic hate.
Despite efforts to censor them, drag queens are known figures in pop culture. Some people were introduced to it through the shocking antics of Divine in John Waters movies or during the rise of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the most prominent drag reality show. Many performers who have been on “Drag Race” have been able to make a name for themselves in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond by having tours, guest appearances and large social media presences.
There are, however, many more forms of drag other than the “glam” look that is now familiar in the mainstream with drag queens such as Trixie Mattel. It is just one expression among a sea of others. While drag queens are often known for turning femininity into a performance, drag kings do that with masculinity. According to Judith Halberstam, a prominent queer and feminist theorist, a drag king is “a performer who pinpoints and exploits the (often obscured) theatricality of masculinity.”
“We’re just as talented as the queens, [and] we deserve to hold the space with them,” Juno Harm, another drag king in Eugene, said. “And we’re just as varied as any other type of performers, so give us a fair shot.”
 Male impersonators, an earlier term for masculine drag performers, have been around for a long time. Marlene Dietrich donned a suit and top hat in pre-Hays Code, or pre-censorship, Hollywood films where she sang, danced and flirted with women. Stormé DeLarverie, a Black drag king who was famous on the night club circuit in the ‘50s and ‘60s, was at Stonewall Inn the night of the pivotal 1969 riot and is said to have thrown one of the first bricks at the police.
Just as the history of drag kings isn’t often discussed, modern drag kings don’t see themselves represented to the same degree drag queens are. That means that many people, especially queer women and transmasculine people, don’t feel they have as much of a space in drag because they can’t explore masculinity as a performance in the way that drag queens can explore femininity.
“I’d always admired the drag community but didn’t feel I had a place there. Seeing a drag king for the first time was an eye-opening experience, showing me that, actually, I can do this,” Heavy Cream said.
Here in Eugene, there is a treasure trove of local drag artists to see. Many of them perform at Spectrum, the queer bar in town, and they have a unique and creative spirit. Drag artists can be found at the many themed events and nights held at Spectrum that aim to cater to every part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m very fortunate to be a drag artist in Eugene because we have a very supportive community here,” Heavy Cream said.
Exploring masculinity through drag can be a liberating experience for many types of performers. One of the first times I saw a performance of masculine drag was Lady Gaga playing the character of Jo Calderone at the 2010 VMAs, where she did a musical number and flirted with Britney Spears. Gaga also appeared as her male alter ego in her music video for the song “Yoü and I,” and she did several magazine photoshoots using the character.
When asked about the creation of the character in V Magazine, Gaga said that she asked the question, “How can we fuck with the malleable minds of onlookers and shift the world’s perspective on what’s beautiful? And the answer? Drag.”
If one of the biggest pop stars of the 2000s and 2010s found something profound and beautiful in being a drag king, it shows how much masculine drag can impact the performers and their audience. Deconstructing and parodying masculine gender roles and stereotypes can be deeply cathartic and humorous.
“Drag was one of those things when I looked at it that hit all the marks for what I love.
Music, dancing, comedy, prop work [and] costuming. Once I tried it out it was true kismet,” Heavy Cream said. “Comedy is a big thing that inspires me.”
Femininity is a known performance, with its trappings of makeup, heels and dresses. Masculinity, however, is still seen as something more valued in society. When drag kings break this apart and expose hypermasculinity for the often comedic and exaggerated construct it is, people get uncomfortable.
“There are expectations to do more when you’re a drag king. By default people assume you’re boring compared to drag queens. You have to do a lot to make up for that,” Juno Harm said. “It puts you at a disadvantage, but sets you up for a comeback story.”
The fruits of that comeback story can often be difficult to reach. To receive recognition, drag kings often have to work very hard to find welcoming spaces to perform and the right audiences.
“When you see a king you are seeing true quality talent there. They are giving it their all,” Heavy Cream said. “We are some of the most hardworking and dedicated artists out there.”
Heavy Cream will start hosting a drag king-themed show called Men at Werk bimonthly at Spectrum. The first night will happen Feb. 23, and it’s open to attend for anyone 18 and up.
“We wanted the show to be accessible to more of the youth in Eugene,” he said.
For anyone interested in supporting drag kings locally, or just curious to see what it’s all about, I highly recommend going. All recognition starts on a local level and the more of an enthusiastic audience there is for them, the more opportunities drag kings will have. It also could inspire a new crop of artists, who would finally see new opportunities for themselves in drag.
Drag kings deserve to have just as many welcoming spaces and open doors as drag queens do. Their history, artistry and passion speaks for itself and kings all over the world continue to innovate and to charm their audiences.