COCKFIGHT

[June 25th, 2003] Drag is becoming a drag.

Seems like those days when queer queens were nothing more than sloppy drunks are long gone. Female impersonators must now act like leaders. Perhaps it's because they consider themselves fundraisers first, dragsters second. Or maybe it has something to do with transgenderism being more widely accepted by the mainstream. Whatever the reason, these ladies think they're ready for the Junior League. And they are leading our queer camp in a whole new direction.

A couple of weeks ago, the Murmurs column (WW, June 11) reported a "confrontation" involving two local drag queens, Chloe Stone and Poison Waters. Supposedly, drinks were tossed, wigs snatched and a tiara broken. WW reported there was a petition requesting that Stone be deposed. One important postscript: Although Poison was present at the event where Stone was said to have been "inappropriate," Waters was not directly involved in any altercation.

This catfight was notable because both Stone and Waters are queer royalty (Stone carries the current title of Rose Empress XLV of the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court; Waters was last year's queen). Oregon's oldest queer nonprofit, the ISRC is all about mixing makeup with money. At a special ISRC meeting, the board rejected the petition to dethrone Stone.

And that's not the only royal mess.

Another title-holder, Mizz Monique Moore, says she has felt the sting of discrimination ever since she was crowned Miss Gay Latina Oregon. At that event (at which my partner and I were judges--see June 4 QW), competitors were judged on their individual talents, not on whether they were "Hispanic" enough. But, according to Moore, some members of the queer Latino community have shunned her ever since she won on account of the fact she doesn't speak her madre's tongue. Moore says she was not encouraged to ride on the Latino float in the Gay Pride parade. Poder Latino de Oregon spokesman Rusino Gonzales says the group tried to contact Monique prior to the parade to discuss her involvement. Regardless, both agree that on the day of the event Moore was invited to walk in front of the float--heavens to Selena!--in heels.

I'm happy to report that Empress Chloe will not be dethroned. And Moore assures me she will rise above whatever bigoted behavior she encounters.

Hopefully, all this will happen just in the nick of time. That's because this weekend is "Peacock in the Park." The last thing this spectacle, the brightest drag event of the summer, needs is a big, dark, rain cloud hanging over it.

Now, I support everyone getting the respect they rightfully deserve, drag queen or not. I also think that cross-dressing can be considered a political act. And I admit it: A lot about being gay is not fun. But I'm still convinced that boys dressing up in girls' clothes and performing to the soundtrack of The Bodyguard shouldn't be political--it should be fun. And people like Poison, Chloe and Monique should be having the most fun. It's time the drag community stopped worrying about how it might appear to the outside world, and went back to being who they are: six-foot men wearing six-inch heels. Let's leave the drama on stage, girls.