Dykes Do Drag

Event: Dykes Do Drag
Where: Bryant Lake Bowl
When: September 17, 2008

Rakemag describes Dykes Do Drag as “a queer, post-modern, performance art, cabaret revue variety show” which is probably a better description than I could give. The event was essentially a series of songs and dances performed by queer identifying people in various costumes. The show ended with a hilarious skit involving John and Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin and her children.
Dykes Do Drag was my first drag show and I attended in a pink wig and too much gold jewelry. What I loved most about Dykes Do Drag was how easy it was to see gender as a performance and how well it was performed. The show took my little knowledge of gender theory, particularly Judith Butler's belief that gender is a performance imposed by heteronormative culture, and placed it in a form where I could experience it firsthand. I went to the show primarily to see my Beyond the Binary teacher performing as “Esme Rodriguez” and was surprised by what a completely different person she was, more sexual and feminine than I had ever imagined Teresa could be.
As a woman I find the fact that I have the freedom to perform my femininity as well as my masculinity whenever and however I want extremely empowering and watching others do that was a great experience. I saw those who participated in Dykes Do Drag as activists and artists using their representations of gender to make a statement. Underneath the silliness, pasties, and stripteases I also saw people of different ages and races who identified as both women and gender queer taking the opportunity to destroy the binary by asserting their own presence and ideas on stage. Often Drag shows aren't really seen as activist spaces and I think Dykes Do Drag was an ideal example of how activism can happen anywhere.
By the end of the show I didn't know who was what gender, if any gender at all and I did'nt care. At the end everything was an illusion.