Day 20. Drag as Cultural Reclamation.
The Irreverent Art of Drag
Drag is more than sequins and spotlight. It is theatre, dance, comedy, fashion, and social commentary all at once. Drag artists have long been masters of transformation, turning judgment and mockery into an irreverent and magnificent form of art. To perform drag is to reclaim your own narrative, to shape how the world sees you, and to turn pain into performance.
From underground clubs to global stages, drag has always been a space where those cast out of traditional circles created their own. These artists carved new paths in entertainment by daring to be both serious and absurd, to expose hypocrisy and the complex beauty of queer expression.
Drag is not only about bending gender; it is also about building kinship and a sustainable life in a world that questions whether or not you deserve one. Within every brave drag performance lives the ancestral traditions of masquerade, storytelling, and the urgent truth of liberation. When drag queens and kings take the stage, they carry more than fierce costumes and flawlessly painted faces; they carry resistance, permission to take up space, and the sacred fight for survival.
Drag Around the Globe
As Dominican-American drag artist and activist Lady Quesa’Dilla says:
“Drag is the ritual of transformation. It’s how we honor our ancestors’ resilience while creating new worlds where we can all shine.”
In the Pacific Islands, drag traditions like fa’afafine pageants in Sāmoa celebrate a long-recognized third-gender identity that is central to Samoan culture. These pageants are both joyous and sacred, affirming the role of fa’afafine as caretakers, artists, and leaders within their communities.
Across Asia, drag has evolved from centuries-old performance traditions such as Japanese kabuki onnagata and Chinese opera dan roles, where men portrayed women in ways that revealed fluid understandings of gender and artistry. Contemporary Asian drag scenes in places like Manila, Bangkok, and Taipei continue this lineage, blending camp, high fashion, and political defiance.
In South America, drag collectives such as Casa Nem in Brazil link performance with activism, offering housing and safety to trans and queer youth. Drag in this region often merges samba, carnival, and protest, transforming the stage into a site of both visibility and resistance.
Across Africa, drag artists in countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya challenge colonial-era laws and gender norms. Through satire, glamour, and humor, they reclaim ancestral modes of masquerade and ritual that long predated European influence.
In Europe, drag flourished within cabaret and queer nightlife from Berlin to London, serving as both refuge and rebellion. Today’s European drag artists carry forward that legacy, using performance to confront nationalism, misogyny, and the lingering effects of colonialism.
In North America, drag has deep roots in Indigenous Two-Spirit traditions and the Harlem ballroom scene, both of which created community through performance and kinship.
From its roots in underground clubs to worldwide television and global audiences, drag continues to challenge conformity while honoring those who turned survival into a spectacle of truth. Drag as cultural reclamation reminds us that queerness has always existed everywhere, as an expression of brilliance, defiance, joy, and the enduring beauty of our humanity.
Learn More
- Watch: World of Wonder (WOW) Presents: Drag Race around the World – All 17 seasons of Ru Paul’s Drag Race and every episode of Drag Race Canada, Belgium, Brasil, Down Under, Espania, France, Germany, Holland, Italia, Mexico, Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the U.K.
- Documentary: Leitis in Waiting – a film about Tonga leitis and their journey of queer, cultural, and political resistance
- Organization: Casa Nem – Brazilian trans and queer collective with shelter, activism, and community organizing.
- Article: ‘Wild, loud, glamorous’: Drag cultures around the world – BBC
- Article: “How Rio’s Trans Community Defeated Right Wing Leaders and Saved a Shelter” – details Casa Nem’s struggles and resilience.
- Book: Drag: Combing Through the Big Wigs of Show Business – by Frank DeCaro
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