Be Proud of Our Queens

For better or worse, drag has been a persistent part of queer culture since Cro-Magnon boys wrapped a fur around their shoulders and sauntered around the fire. And while drag is in some situations rightfully critiqued for stereotypical representations of femininity, drag is also an important art form that calls attention to gender performance and gives us a reason to laugh at our willing suspension of disbelief.

As children, we grew up fearing these monstrous, shameless creatures whom out parents cited as the singular thing (besides dying of disease) that they warned us to avoid becoming, because it was simply a bridge too far.

However, in a post-RuPocalypse world, we have the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent of RuPaul's Drag Race queens to give all of us an insight into drag culture that we've rarely seen before. The picture that the Emmy winning show pains of drag culture isn't one of drugs and sex and a lack of moral center. Rather, it is quite the opposite. Themes of family, acceptance, friendship, and artistry quickly emerge as the threads that keep us coming back week over week in addition to fierce lewks from the queens. Which is why I was so astonished when I was scrolling through the television guide on my Xfinity cable, I was shocked when I came upon a supplemental part of the program guide designed for parents by a company called Common Sense Media that said the following about our beloved Drag Race queens:

Let me begin by saying that I understand the RPDR isn't a show for everyone. The girls curse, and as the "What Parents Need To Know" section states, the word "bitch" is a commonplace term. But its the final bit of this section and the subsequent scoring that get my panties in a bunch.

"The show supports the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community while simultaneously sending the message that drag queens must be overly sexualized in order to succeed. It also promotes self-acceptance."

Now, the sexualization of drag characters is an age-old issue that will never go away, and what I can say about that is that Queens themselves engage in this conversation on the reg, and differences of opinion abound. Remember Max who didn't want to curse or talk about sex? So I can't quibble with that portion of the review too much, except to say that questions of sexualization are appropriate to wrestle with for the audience of people age 16 and up for whom this show has been deemed appropriate by Common Sense Media. It's the rest of this that makes me simultaneously proud and furious.

How can a television show that supports the LGBT community and promotes self-acceptance be given such terrible scores on POSITIVE MESSAGES and POSITIVE ROLE MODELS?

How can a a rating agency state that these figures display courage and self-acceptance, yet say there are NO POSITIVE ROLE MODELS present?

The rating agency, Common Sense Media, is ostensibly looking to demonstrate to parents what kind of programming is appropriate for their children. By contrast to the ratings that RPDR receives, check out what this agency has to say about another show with larger than life characters, big hair, and a dramatic aesthetic, DUCK DYNASTY:

This show about "hunting, guns and animal skinning" as a part of everyday like receives higher marks about both positive messages and positive role models than the queens of Drag Race.

This is homophobia. I, for one, represent many Americans who would much rather that children seek to be the kind, accepting, artistic and happy people that we see on Drag Race than the violent, sexist, hateful people on Duck Dynasty. The only reason I can see that the ratings for Drag Race are lower than Duck Dynasty is because the characters represent identity that is considered "less than" a hetero-normative identity. To quote Ru:

Anybody who can step out of the house with a pair of heels and some lipstick on their lips is my hero.

These queens work hard in a society that largely hate them, including Common Sense Media. They are creative artists who make something out of nothing, and who put themselves on the line in the most vulnerable of ways to do nothing but create joy for others.

So as we continue to celebrate this PRIDE season, don't forget that even though many of us revel in and celebrate these and all queens, there is a conservative echo chamber in which even the most admirable among us are torn down simply because they are gay.

While gay people are gaining legal acceptance, I fear for our moral acceptance. The hypocritical ratings created by Common Sense Media serve an example of how and why a generation of children will still grow up hating themselves. Our culture still sends signals that gay is bad, and straight is better. Being gay does, in fact, get better, but it's still only first runner up to heterosexual expression, no matter how pig-headed, violent, or misogynistic that expression may be.