Drag Queens in the Deep South Serve as a Reminder of the Progress of LGBTQ Rights
By: Adia Aidoo
The Kourteasans performing at the Athens Starlight Showcase., Sunday, September 29, 2019 shot by Adia Aidoo
Local drag group, The Kourtesans reign supreme over the festivities of Athens Pride. From pageants to parties, an event would not be complete without the troupe gracing the audience with their talent, humor and chaos.
Formed in 2015 with the purpose of serving as a safe space for those who may have been rejected for being their true selves, The Kourtesans have performers with a wide range of gender identities and expressions. Each member brings something unique to the group as a whole and represents the diversity and expansion of the art of drag.
Drag started off as a secret movement in underground clubs in cities like New York. Now it is a widely celebrated art form that represents the diversity of the LGBTQ community. It’s important to remember the origins of a culture like drag because it is a story that is not told often.
Released in 1990, the groundbreaking documentary “Paris is Burning” gave a look into the underground ballroom culture of New York in the 1980s. Ballroom culture not only serves as the birthplace of drag, but as well as provided a safe space for the LGBTQ community. 30 years later, drag is a mainstream artform that sells out venues, gets corporate sponsorships, and is the subject of multiple popular television shows. Whether if drag is performed on an international, national or local stage, drag has grown beyond the underground culture it was 30 years ago.
On Sept. 28th, the Kourtesans held their PRIDE Extravaganza at the Caledonia Lounge in Downtown Athens as one of many performances that they’ve held that weekend for Athens Pride.
Early arrivers to the show were able to interact with the performers as they prepare for the event. The performers were in various stages of makeup completion while drinking and smoking with the audience members.
The dimly lit venue pulsed with LGBTQ friendly pop and hip hop which excited the audience as they danced while waiting for the show to start.
The show started 10 minutes late as the co-hosts Karmella Macchiato and Alex Suarez, sporting full drag makeup and attire, split the audience like the red sea to form a runway for the performers in the style that many balls depicted in “Paris is Burning” do to provide ample space for whatever crazy tricks the performers might do.
Tonight’s show was Macchiato’s first show back after a two month hiatus from performing after breaking her foot. However, she does not skip a beat bantering with Suarez. They joke about topics like sex and drugs among jokes about each other and the other performers.
As each performer enters the makeshift runway, it is evident that each performer has their own style of drag. Drag is often portrayed as men dressing up as women, but the first performer of the night, Mr. Elle Aye is a drag king. He exaggerates masculine features through makeup, but at the same time he glams masculinity up. Another performer of the night, Cola Fizz uses her makeup to look like classic horror movie monsters while in glamorous and feminine outfits. Fizz also shows off her chest hair to challenge what traditional femininity looks like. Performer Miss He wears looks that are popular with black female fashion icons while sporting a full mustache.
The pinnacle of the night was when during her performance D’Kighten Day proposed to her boyfriend.
The proposal makes one think about how far the LGBTQ community has come from 50 years ago when the Stonewall Riots occurred. The Stonewall Riots were an uprising against the oppression that the LGBTQ community faced during police raids of a LGBTQ friendly bar in New York. Even though the fight for LGBTQ rights is still alive and needed, a public proposal of this type would be considered dangerous and shameful even 30 years ago.
Long time drag performer, Jacqueline Daniels has been doing drag for 29 years. When asked about how drag has grown she said:.
“[Drag] was kind of this thing that weird people did. We would show up to the club at 11:45 and put on these shows at 12:30, and we only were able to do this on Sundays and Wednesdays. Now it’s celebrated in festivals like Athens Pride”
Athens PRIDE started off as a picnic 20 years ago and now has grown into a week long celebration of this diverse community. The fact that a small town in the deep south can have such a bustling and growing LGBTQ community and drag scene makes the sacrifices of those in the Stonewall Riots and the brave activists who came after immensely important for those who want to live as their true selves.