Drag queens banned from Pride event "because they may offend transgender people"

[CoteDAzur]

“The decision was taken by transgender individuals who were uncomfortable with having drag performances at the event. It was felt that it would make some of those who were transgender or questioning their gender uncomfortable."

So... Very male-looking transwomen making women uncomfortable in toilets and changing rooms everywhere is OK because their feelings can't be hurt, but crossdressers must be excluded from a Pride event because they might make trans people uncomfortable?

From London Evening Standard

I find some drag offensive. Likewise I find some born women's gender performance offensive.
But I also I find some drag illuminating, some highly creative, some hilarious, some dull and derivative, some extremely courageous....

There's a whole load of nuance to it. You can't write the whole of drag culture off as offensive.

I agree that you can't write off a whole drag culture as offensive.

But I confess I've never actually seen a drag act that wasn't deeply offensive and horribly misogynist.

It puts you off, that.

Agree Basil. I've never seen a good drag act. I have some gay male friends who sometimes dress up in drag for parties but they don't put on a drag "act" where they pretend to be women. I don't find that offensive.

I don't find that offensive.

Don't you find it slightly peculiar? I don't get what is so hilarious about dressing up as a woman to some men. Many miss no opportunity to do it in the apparent belief that it makes them amusing but I'm not sure what's really funny about it.

Even less comedic are the ones who run in the breast cancer women's marathons dressed as women. There's a weird belligerence to it.

Live and let live. It's a shame. We have our 18th Christopher Street Day a week on Saturday (Germany) and it is awesome and really friendly. No one gives a fuck what anyone is or isn't or what they are or not wearing. The drag acts on stage are very talented. The drag queens make more bloody effort than I ever will, especially in this heat. And they are nice to my kids. The fact that I identify as straight, no one cares. No one says I am hijacking their day, no one says I have white privilege or cis privilege or any kind of privilege (probably cos I am an old knackered mum of three kids who are dancing with rainbow garlands on having a great time running circles round me and they think Poor Bugger). Live and let live.

to those asking, it provoked the thought at all for me, that the concept of a drag queen might be strange. As soon as he said, I thought, that's a good point, but to be fair I wouldn't go to a drag show anyway. My experience of drag queens limited to occasionally chatting to them in bars in Soho but that's just a normal conversation, so he's right, that is just people living their lives isn't it.

I also remember going on holiday with an ex who said something similar (there was a drag act in the hotel). But equally, I get that some people are doing the drag queen act for a living. So I am unsure what I think about it.

I guess in general I find it odd that anyone should find that funny. Eddie Izzard was at a political event in my neck of the woods and it didn't occur to me to find it in any way odd that he was dressed in "women's clothes" so what is entertaining about it?

I suppose if a drag queen is just doing a really good comedy show with great repartee, there is no need for the drag unless that's just who they are? Then there's the point Her Madge made her in her song "but for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, because you think being a girl is degrading".

Would we have drag queens in a gender neutral world?

I have been at too many prides where a drag queen on stage makes a "joke" about women's vaginas smelling fishy, or about how women are slappers.
I don't care if a man wants to wear a dress.

But I also wonder if women who wear trousers and shirts will be banned from the march as wearing drag? Or is it only men they are bothered about?

Gobbolino - I've only just seen your question. He is an actor!

Apocalypse yes I find it peculiar but the men I know grew up in villages wanting to dress up and play with dolls and weren't allowed. There's no mocking. I do find drag acts to be mocking and tedious.

And stag dos / rugby club / marathon runners dressed as women, hate those too.

achieve I still don't get your friends point. I think you ar saying you think it's offensive to men who wear dresses that men make an act out of being men wearing dresses. Is that it? Do you think women might be offended?

The drag queens make more bloody effort than I ever will why do women say this? As if it is an achievement for a man to look like a parody of a woman presented for the male gaze.

Looking at the article (not sure why two London papers are commenting on a Glasgow event anyway) it doesn't say that people in drag are unwelcome, just that there wouldn't be drag performances.

"“This does not mean that people of any gender can’t wear what they want to the event, we simply won’t be having any self-described drag acts perform at our Free Pride Event"

So no one has been banned.

I don't think I've ever seen a man dressed as women for entertainment that was funny. Most make me really uncomfortable, from Monty Python to Little Britain it's never a positive portrayal, mostly really school yard type 'look at me' bullshit.

I am not a fan of drag artists but to ban them seems unfair and I agree that it is not at all appropriate for trans people to try to exclude them if drag artists had previously been very supportive.

How can you say no-one has been banned when drag acts (except trans drag acts ) have been told they can't perform?

I am not a fan of drag acts. But I have never been to a Pride event that doesn't have drag acts.

Is the only way to attend a Pride event is as a performer then? I can see from a bit of further googling on the event web-site that people are upset by this because they see drag queens as being very important because they are a group that have been very supportive of the movement (and ironically of trans people too) so it looks like a massive snub. But nonetheless individuals haven't been told they can't attend have they?

Are you saying nooka that people have no right to be upset? Surely a local Pride committee should actually listen to the feelings of local LGBT people?

Of course not! I was just reflecting that it had indeed upset people, and that the drag acts were obviously more important than I had presumed.

I was just being pedantic about the 'banning' really.

"And stag dos / rugby club / marathon runners dressed as women, hate those too."

This I do loathe. Also, though not as popular a topic to defend, the hilarious 'joke' of hiring a stripper for stags and the like.

Umm.... Those of you saying it's also a feminist thing - you do realise there are plenty of 'Drag Kings' too don't you!?

Bloody funny the lot of them too IMHO! (But then I'm firmly of the opinion that if you can't have a laugh at yourself you have no right to laugh about anyone or anything else! So drag queens point out some hideous stereotypes - so flipping what!! FFS!)

As for the trans issue ...... I have some trans friends and they love drag (one of them took me to a drag club.) At the end of the day all types of humour are going to offend somebody!

But this sort of issue is likely to get more frequent as trans rights go from being marginal to apparently dominant, so there are going to be conflicts within LGTB communities.

There is a reference in the Pink Times article on the event to a NUS conference resolution about cross dressing:

“Conference resolves amend the NUS Zero Tolerance Statement policy to cover all NUS events and conferences; and to encourage Unions to ban clubs and societies from holding events which permit or encourage (cisgender) members to use ‘cross-dressing’ as a mode of fancy dress.”

It's weird that women's objections to being parodied are irrelevant, but trans issues seem to be leading to more gender conformance. Especially as many people who later identify as start by cross dressing, given that how on earth could you determine who was 'cis' and who trans? Or who is wearing fancy dress and who is trying to pass?

Name changed (not due to this thread I hasten to add, but timely reminder from another one) but tis me, Kindle.
flora I admire anyone of any gender, sexuality or race who can be arsed in 31 degree heat, to wear costume or make up of any kind, whether it is for personal pleasure, freedom of expression or performance.
I am always amazed by it, whether it is the people running marathons in hot, furry costumes or the amount of effort people make at Fasching on the carneval floats or the elaborate outfits and make up people will be wearing next Saturday. The discomfort and sheer bloody commitment that all of the above show impresses me because I am decidely a Less is more minimalist person, it has little to do with the look itself or parodies, but more to do with Wow! angel wings and twelve inch heels on these cobbles? And I would feel the same whether it was a drag queen or a lass on her hen do doing it. I admire anyone committing to a look or a cause that takes them personal time. Live and let live.

Wow. I am a bit bothered about that NUS motion. I remember one student 'Hollywood Legends' party where quite a few of us happily went as members of the opposite sex (I was Tom Cruise, being rather short.) Have they had a similar motion against pimps and hos parties or is that OK?

I also don't like drag acts
Except Eddie Izzard. I bloody love Eddie Izzard. How do others that don't like drag, feel about him?

I never feel like he parodies women at all.

MUS need to stop using the term 'cisgender'. It is highly offensive