OPINION: This past weekend, I was in attendance of the University of Maine’s annual Drag Show, an event put on and sponsored by Wilde Stein and the University of Maine Student Government. I thought it was a very well put together event, composed of both student performers and professionals from around the state, but particularly local Bangor drag kings and queens. This was my second time attending the event and ultimately I’ve taken away a deeper appreciation not just for drag itself but also for the broader sense of community that can be found in both the performance and audience support of local drag.
At one point during the show, there was a speech from Wilde Stein that highlighted the importance of showcasing drag at a time where homophobia and transphobia are running rampant and Republican leaders and lawmakers are eager to paint drag as ‘satanic’ or pedophelic. In our contentious political climate, it’s more important than ever to showcase queer love and joy loudly and proudly. This is resistance, and it’s just as powerful to show up for queer art as it is to show up for direct protest.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to show our support for local drag artists. These are performers who put time, effort and money into their time on the stage. What may be a three minute performance at a show is an unseen amount of hours of practicing dance, make up and stage presence. These are efforts that should be rewarded in two ways.
The first reward is recognition and participation. We should show up for these shows and events they book and we should be loud about it. Drag is inherently a performance and there is no performance without an audience. Show up, cheer and clap. It’s essential to maintain a good energy throughout the crowd to keep morale up. Showing up and being a body in the audience is crucial, but cheering rewards the performer more than being a passive observer does.
The second reward is financial. These artists typically get paid to book an event, but they’re also usually expecting tips from the audience. Tipping is an important way to award the performer for their efforts. Tipping doesn’t need to be as demanding as giving every performer in a show a crisp $20 bill. Just a few dollars to a performer you really enjoy is better than no tip at all. It can make all the difference to a struggling performer. If just five people in the audience tip five dollars, that’s likely enough to cover their meal for the night.
Drag is positioned radically in opposition to conservative fearmongering. Joy and love are resistance in the face of hate and vitriol. Show up for local drag performers and support a community that finds themselves increasingly marginalized every day. Support local drag artists because they’re putting themselves out there on the stage and they’re vulnerable to immense amounts of hate. Their work should be rewarded.
