British Drag Queens Worry ‘Drag Race UK’ Will Ruin Scene

With the announcement of a new UK iteration of RuPaul’s Drag Race, many of Britain’s big name drag queens are worried the show could have a detrimental effect on the eclectic British scene.

The show “imposes a specific type of American drag,” said Dragpunk, a Birmingham-based drag group.

“It risks undermining and damaging all the hard work people do across our communities (that are) at odds with the fame-driven commoditisation that Drag Race pushes.”

“All drag is valid and the boundaries of what drag actually is are constantly being pushed,” said drag queen Neon. “I don’t want there to become a mould that an artist must fit in order to be considered a real queen.”

Joe Jeffreys, a drag historian at New York University, argues that show has only made opportunities for the drag queens that have competed, not highlighted drag culture as a whole.

“If it was the true golden age of drag… I would see mass audiences flocking to the drag shows at my local bars,” he said.

“They are flocking to events featuring contestants from the show, but when you get back down to that localised, gay bar drag show, the doors aren’t breaking down yet.”

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