The "Horror" of
Drag
by: Laura Green
November 1999
Being
a drag queen is a horrendous thing.
Let’s gather around and have a good laugh!!!
That’s
the message the University of Western Ontario’s
daily newspaper seemed to be saying in a caption
that ran below a front-page photo on Thursday,
October 16.
The Gazette
photo showed Perry Monaco, vice president of campus
issues for the University Students’ Council,
dressed in drag and kneeling over another male
lying on the floor. The caption read "OH
THE HORROR, THE HORROR. Perry Monaco ...
serviced students yesterday in the University
Community Centre."
Nowhere in
the paper did it mention that this scene took
place following a performance by two real drag
queens. Or that the event was part of an effort
to publicize Coming Out week on campus.
There was
no article to accompany the photo. No mention
of the element of celebration and pride that is
involved in a drag queen’s performance. No
commentary on how some members of Western’s
community are still subject to homophobic divisions
and discrimination. No words of support or resources
for those people that Coming Out week was aiming
to help.
Instead students
were left with the impression that a student representative
dressed in drag was an incident to be mocked.
An event that should have heightened students’
awareness and understanding in a fun way was reduced
to a distorted image of the reality of being gay,
lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.
When asked,
many UWO students didn’t know why the picture
was on the front page. "I
have no idea what this picture is about,"
said first-year student
Lindsay Hunter. "The
caption should have had some information about
what it’s pertaining to ... it doesn’t
tell me anything."
When told
the picture was taken after a drag queen performance
that was part of a series of events for coming
out week Hunter didn’t think that it was
appropriate.
Other students
felt that the caption was outright discrimination
towards cross-dressers. "It
shows a bias against drag, it’s not accepting
it," said second-year student Benjamin
Lee.
Monaco was
disappointed with the caption. "Nowhere
did it mention why I was doing this ... I was
hoping that the whole purpose was to draw attention
to the week," said Monaco.
"Students who
picked up the paper would have no idea what’s
going on."
"It
would have been nice if they could have tied it
into coming out week."
Making fun
of an individual’s lifestyle choice is not
humorous for everyone. Lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgendered individuals are frequently the
subject of ridicule and hate crimes.
Statistics from the 1998 FBI Uniform Crime Reports
indicate that gays, lesbians and bisexuals ranked
third in reported hate crimes in America.
There are no statistics available for Canada.
And even
these statistics are controversial because law
enforcement experts agree that when compared to
other crimes, hate crimes aimed at homosexuals
are underreported to the police. In many cases,
minority groups have historically strained relationships
with law enforcement. They don’t report crimes
to the police because they fear being victimized
again. Homosexuals also fear "outing"
themselves by reporting a hate crime caused by
their sexual orientation.
Professor
James Miller, director of UWO’s Pride library,
praised Monaco’s efforts to heighten awareness.
"The use of humour
to diffuse tension and potential violence ...
is a very brave thing to do. Perry has obviously
taken it upon himself as part of his job with
campus issues ... he’s getting into the spirit
of celebrating sexual diversity."
Miller said
that there are still many misunderstandings about
homosexuals. "There’s
an assumption that gay men are automatically drag
queens. That homophobic assumption is deeply rooted
in misogyny." Miller also said that
there is a common confusion between gender identity
and sexual identity. "Some
people just can’t wrap their heads around
the fact that a drag queen could be straight."
Miller explained
that in the queer culture, drag is a celebration.
"All gender is a performance,
whether you are a homosexual or heterosexual,"
said Miller.
"Perry
is to be praised for setting an example to celebrate
sexual diversity ... he’s suggesting that
the rigid policing of gender and sexual lines
is very harmful," said Miller. "By
being so visibly cutting-edge, he was opposing
the anti-homophobia regime."
Miller noted
that there seemed to be a Gazette tradition of
mocking certain groups and officials on campus.
"This has the quality
of an in-joke and I don’t think it should
be on the cover of a paper unless it is explained."
For
more information on this subject, please check
out the following web links or visit the Pride
library located in room 355 of University College.
Web links:
Comingout
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