Drag has swung from grassroots fundraising to mainstream spectacle and back again. José Sarria founded the Imperial Council, and groups like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence used drag for political causes. Today's drag often chases money, but the best work blends visual flair with real content.
ago, Heklina, who was a legendary drag queen from San Francisco who passed away a few years ago tragically in the UK. She once said that she was excited to see— I'm paraphrasing. She said that she was excited to see drag being perceived as dangerous again because that danger makes for better art.
Mm.
When the pendulum swings and we see drag queens everywhere, everywhere, all at once, doing everything and everything, when it swings back to the other end and it goes a little bit more underground, it goes back to its roots. And you know, not everything can be in the sun forever. You know, night must also come.
A lot of older drag queens do say that it was more fun then.
When it was a little underground? Yes. When there was no cameras recording you?
Because people were doing it for fun.
Yeah, I mean, you know, not for the money. I mean, you know, the reason you do drag can be completely different. I was exposed to drag because of Drag Race. I didn't know what it was until then. And the reason that I'm doing it now, and like I think about it all the time, there's something about it, doing drag, there is something about it that should tell you to do it again and again and again, no matter what.
My perspective is really political. I made a documentary film about a drag organization, the Imperial Council, and the founder of that is José Sarria, who actually aspired to become a teacher, but because of circumstances could not. And also it was a taboo. That job opportunity is not accessible for queer people during that time. Anyways, the very first openly gay man to run for public office also founded the Imperial Council of San Francisco. Oh, wow. I first got to know drag here is that it's really grassroots and it started as a community that really created spaces and raised money every year for different causes. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who are mostly political, you know?
Yeah, yeah.
So when Drag Race came in, a lot of these queens actually, oh my God, it's all about the snarkiness, the cattiness.
Which is what drag is, but I think it's like, you know, I think about this quote. When a drag queen or a drag artist performs just one song with no edits, no cuts, that's fine. But when there is an edit, when there's a mix, when there's spoken word, when there's stuff added to it, it shows that that drag queen can think. And I think your drag should not just be about how you look or how you present yourself. It should also be about what you say and what you convey with your art. And that would be the message that I would say too.
Girl, a few years ago, maybe 5 years ago, there were still remnants of This movement here in San Francisco, people did drag to raise funds, not to get paid. But now you rarely see that, or if not, you don't even see that anymore at all.
That's true. And you know what? Do drag just for fun. I think that there have been times now where I just decide to go out and drag to a place, to an event, just for fun. There's no money involved. There's nothing involved. You know, it is nice to get paid and to pour back into your art the funds that you get from doing it and to be compensated for your work. Artists deserve to be compensated for their work.
