Research Session 4

In this fourth research session, I used the Sage Journals website that I had been using previously to find information about drag performances, http://sex.sagepub.com/content/13/3/275.full.pdf+html. I've had a very positive experience with this website, but after this session, I've used all that it has to offer. I researched both drag queen and king performances in this session so that I would be able to compare and contrast the two. I began with performances by the Disposable Boy Toys. A DBT member states that "our gender performances may resemble or be connected in some way to our gender identities on stage, but they are valid performances nonetheless" (285). Most of their shows begin with a political feminist statement, and they focus on showing masculinity and femininity. They use songs to get their messages across. One show in particular addressed coming out as transgender. The DBT performances include more serious issues but also keep the mood light and the audience entertained.

The 801 Girls take a different approach to drag performance. They start off by telling the audience that they are not trying to pass as women, but are gay men. They act in a more masculine way and do things such as not shaving their legs. Some flash the audience; others change out of drag costumes onstage to show the transformation from woman to man. The article states that the 801 Girls "work to undermine the divide between heterosexual and homosexual" (286). They bring audience members onstage of different sexual orientation and arrange them in positions showing different sex acts. They focus on the idea of 'try it, you might like it' (287). They also go out into the audience and try to arouse straight men. Like the DBT, they focus on challenging the audience's views. However, the two groups are different in that they "send different messages about what queer genders and sexualities look like" (287).

I had used another website in this session to look more into other drag groups, but I can no longer find that website. There are some downsides to online research! However, this has not slowed down my research; it has just led me to choose my sources a bit more carefully.

The last part of this session has made me interested in what drag is like in the media. I plan on finding new websites or using social media to find opinions on drag. The first website that I had used was very useful to me, but I look forward to discovering new articles to further my research.