Drag Wars

Let FREEDOM Reign

Men dressing up like women, faking being women, faking singing like women, lip-syncing, is admittedly kinda weird.

But watching men in tights, playing with their balls, getting paid millions, knowing fully-well there are numerous injuries, even deaths to aspiring wanna-be millionaire MenInTights ball-players on High School football fields annually --

-- knowing that --

-- and knowing that football players are notorious for drugs, guns and domestic battery, a 'sport' that SEGREGATES and DEMEANS women to dress-up little pre-pubescent SMOOTH girls chanting along the side-lines, "Rah! Rah! Rah! We can't do it, we're just girls!" --

-- knowing that --

-- a 'sport' that celebrates VIOLENCE;

-- knowing that --

-- then football is even weirder.

Drag is the artistic free-expression in celebration of womanhood.

Nobody can deny that with any integrity.

Granted, there are men with psychological problems that actually think cross-dressing, heels, padding, a thick layer of chemical-soup smeared on their faces, wearing wigs, makes them a 'beautiful woman,' alluring to 'any man,' more 'attractive' than their natural selves.

Does that make the man that sleeps with 'em 'gay' -- or DUPED?

Maybe it's about duping lesbians?

Afterall, men that are attracted to another man, are so because the natural manhood is appealling -- JUST THE WAY YOU ARE -- like the title of a Billy Joel song.

Womanhood is part of one's attraction to any particular woman, regardless of that individuals free-expression of femininity or lack thereof.

Likewise, a man's free-expression of their unique display of manhood is what makes them attractive, to anybody.

So, when women wore powdered wigs and corsets, while men wore powdered wigs, tights and cod-pieces to advertise BALL PLAY, a SUPERBOWL of the 'mainstream' thought said all whom did not participate were 'weird.'

MenInTights playing their BALLS and adv3ertising it as 'not weird' is nothing new, it just evolved.

As did and has the celebration of womanhood.

I saw my first drag show at 14 years of age in London. I ditched my companions, SKIRTED the chapperones and Humped the TUBE to FREEDOM.

In San Diego, during my late teens and early twenties, I saw many types of drag, including womens' bars, where women impersonated male entertainers, or freely expressed their own interpretation of 'masculinity.'

It's all about the art of impersonation. Acting. Theater. Entertainment.

-- as a side-note, one must examine physical-conditioning, briefly. There is a good comparison between the steroid-induced massive 40+%-lard-ass 300-lb millionaire football player, and the under 10%-fat firmness of a Figure Skater (U.S. Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina just completed this past week -- more on that, later). Figure Skating is the maximum of human endurance.

Football physic vs Figure Skating's maximum human endurance firm ass -- stamina.
Short-bursts with maximum resource (caloric) consumption, vs sustained speed and stamina. Which do you want on the FRONT LINES defending YOU and YOURS?

Or in your 'defensive' attack helicopters and jets? And when resources are depleted, running low, how many calories are you going to sacrifice from the comfort of your sedentary couch or chair to feed a 300-lb'er a SNACK, verses a 150-lb'r a full days' rations?

RESOURCE WARS, and we're in it. Just because bombs aren't going off in your neighborhood doesn't mean it's not.

From Los Angeles to Seattle, I've seen some of the best that Drag has to offer. From satirical skits ot lip-sync impersonations to Kareoke live-singing with live bands, magnificent voal skills, fabulous theater.

But I'm not a big fan. It's the freedom that's beautiful. I'm a big fan of freedom. I see troubling aspects of football, for example, but I don't want it banned or the people attending or leaving a 'game' beaten and the facility burned to the ground.

There are football fans and Church fans that wish that, hope for that, pray for that against participants of Drag, patrons, and facilities that offer it.

This country has a long history of that. And it's still the 'norm' throughout the majority of the world. Iran publically hung two teenage males, accussed of 'cross-dressing' and 'seducing' via 'confusion' their 'victims' -- 'homosexuality.' And the support to advertise that evil as 'not weird' is global.

I'd just prefer to support PEACEFUL artistic free-expression than maximum bulk and violence that pretends it's a 'game' ...

-- anything that endorses the segregation of men from women is no 'game' --

... it's just the LEFT-overs of 'reasonable-sounding' antiquated Jim Crow hateful MENtality in disguise.

Drag, on the other hand, is none of that -- for it involves men and women and those whom are neither or MORE THAN BOTH.

-- A Brief History of Drag

It's all about free-expression and satire. Those regarded as 'free-spirits' would get together and talk about it, always ridiculed and scorned by the so-called 'unconditionally-loving' crowd, Church women whose most oft-repeated words were, "Hated it!" -- from the way you talk, to the way you walk, from the shoes you wore to the way you combed your hair, every aspect of your being, your entertainments, your loves, and the black-clad Church women HATED IT.

All in good fun, satirical sketches were offered as entertainment in the establishments where these 'free-spirits' hung-out, locations where any and all were WELCOMED and LOVED, cared about, ACCEPTED, regardless of size, shape, color, of person or dress.

These performers donned the garments of the Church women, and 'camped' -- satirizing the hatred, "If you don't laugh, you'll cry!" at the heart of it, the oppression, segregation, ostracism so real, so blatant, so mean.

And the Church women went absolutely bonkers. They harrangued their husbands week after week, month after month, year after year to put a stop to all forms of singing, laughing or showing signs of 'happiness', in essence, demanding laws against pieces-of-cloth, clothes, wigs, make-up, music, theater, art, every aspect of 'night life' and free-expression. Then harranged 'em more to go beat and arrest all involved, including those expressing their freedom to go see a show.

-- then vigilante'd the burning-down of the bars and clubs where such shows were offered.

To this day, there is a church group that HATES IT and all involved in it, thumping bibles, claiming how 'unconditionally-loving' they are, holding candle-light vigils, holding hands, crying for the camera, the photo-ops, taking 'donations' to further their hate-campaigns, hoping to get on the news, chanting "love the sinner, HATE the 'sin'," spewing and teaching HATE. The only thing 'unconditional' about 'em is their HATE.

-- always pessimistically tunnel-vision focusing their entire existence, perceiving 'flaws' -- 'negatives' to hammer against their merciless positiveness, their positive-cross-signs of HATE, INTOLERANCE, using the points of their own hypocritical forked-tongues as NAILS, the epitome of anti-christ messaging, proving they are FAKE 'christians' and never understood a wingle Christian concept, especially the concept of crucifiction, from the get-go. You're not supposed to be 'positive' hammering 'negatives' against your merciless positiveness-cross-signs, figuratively. And they FAKE 'not understanding' as their EXCUSE to keep doing it.

FAKE 'christians' or FAKE 'games' or FAKE 'divas'?

I'll take DRAG any day. It's all about the FREEDOM.

Sometimes those doing drag get caught-up in the satire -- ridicule and scorn absolutely every aspect of patrons, from the size/shape/color of their person to the size/shape/color of their shoes, their pants, their shirts, their hair, nose, teeth, opinions -- and that drives-away business.

I'm always very cautious standing between a few Drag Queens for that exact reason. It's no fun at all being on the receiving end of their, errrr, 'love.' Usually best not to say anything.

That said, the current group of Drag participants in Spokane, WA have risen to the occassion and have proved to be above that. Are kind. Defend patrons, make all feel welcome, loved, cared-about, worthy. And they have wonderful personal stories to share, if you have the time to make the effort to try and get to know some.

The situation reminds me a bit of those rare years when a school has an exceptional amount of talent. During those years, a special group of students, whom have exceptional training or backgrounds, win trophies, awards, go to regional and national championships and do well, whereas most years they don't. After that group of students graduates or moves-on, the 'average' talent will continue as usual.

That's the situation with Spokane's Drag SuperStars right now. For whatever reason, whatever unique turn of events, the special backgrounds and special real-life educations and special circumstances, including facilities and supporters and patrons, the group involved in the Spokane Drag Scene are kind, kinder, kindest, more talented than any group ever before. I salute each and every one of them.

They have raised funds for charitable causes, including Breast Cancer and HIV/AIDS, and other causes as well. The Spokane Drag scene has evolved into a World Class showcase of talent and kindness.

And that is a FREEDOM worth defending, forever.

Kind Regards,
Clayton Winton