Boys Will be Girls

[caption id="attachment_10625" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo Courtesy of therenogaypage.com"][/caption] In “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,” Wesley Snipes explains that “when a straight man puts on a dress and gets his sexual kicks, he is a transvestite. When a man is a woman trapped in a man’s body and has a little operation, he is a transsexual. When a gay man has way too much fashion sense for one gender, he is a drag queen.” Drag queens are part of a steadily growing culture that people somehow seem to be missing. While a drag queen could easily be seen just about anywhere from a club to an office supply store, some people still don’t realize how large drag culture has become. It seems that, for most people, when they think about drag queens, they think about the movies like Tim Curry from “Rocky Horror Picture Show” or Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo from “To Wong Foo.” For people who aren’t an active part of drag culture, it seems to be something far removed from them: it’s something seen in pop culture and not in real-life, especially not in downtown Reno. Chris Daniels, otherwise known as Ginger Devine, has been going out in downtown Reno dressed in drag for the last two years. After getting his start at a drag fundraising show in Wisconsin, Daniels realized that he was always meant to be Ginger. He says that he “always (feels) so effing pretty when (he) is Ginger” and that “she exudes (a) sassy, confident demeanor” that he wishes he could always display. While Daniels enjoys being a drag queen and feels “ridiculously hot and egotistical” when he is dressed up, not everyone feels the same way about the drag culture. Daniels is aware that people are uncomfortable with his choice, and says he has been ridiculed, threatened and harassed in public.Daniels is “always extremely heartened and encouraged because, though there are a few haters, most people absolutely love drag queens.” “They are jealous because I look fantastic and they wish they could look this good,” he says. While the drag culture can cause some controversy, there are those who still find it interesting, even if they are not involved in the culture. Travis Jones, a recent university graduate, found that men who participate in the drag culture often look better as their drag counterparts “because it’s how they’re most comfortable and being comfortable in one’s own skin does a lot for their outward appearance.” Kristine Vasilevsky, the Queer Student Union officer in charge of the upcoming  drag show says that, while her male friends “still look fabulous not dressed in drag,” when they are dressed up, “they are even more beautiful.” Daniels says that he does not dress in drag as often as he would like to, because getting all dressed up can take anywhere from three to five hours. “(It) is no small feat,” Daniels explains, to get dressed up as a glamorous woman before a night out on the town. He begins the process by gathering his materials: things like razors, eyelash glue, and all the pieces of his costume. Next, he starts his “intensive shaving process, removing all traces of hair from (his) body.” After the shaving is complete, he has his makeup artist, Veronica, get him all prettied up. After deciding on his outfit and accessories, he begins the torturous process of giving himself the illusion of womanly curves by putting on a pair of spanks, a pair of control-top pantyhose and cinching into a corset. Finally, he adds his wig, which has been a signature part of Ginger’s look for about six or seven years. Vasilevsky believes that drag queens dress up to “express their inner beauty” and that she admires them for “the time and devotion” involved in it. By the end of the night, Ginger is usually feeling the pain that most women are all too familiar with after a night out. The torturous high heels, the smeared makeup, and the restricting clothing (not to mention the corsets) all make a woman or a drag queen feel like she did her best to end her evening in pain.  All of the work seems to be worth it, though, because drag queens are “very beautiful and extremely well-dressed,” according to Pat Ponder, a sixty-seven-year-old Renoite. Others seem to feel similarly; many people say that they find drag queens to be beautiful and confident. Daniels’s female friends often tell him it’s unfair he makes a prettier woman than they do. Daniels believes it is important for “people (to) discover their gender identity, gender expression, (and) sexual orientation and decide that they are going to unabashedly live their true and authentic lives.”