San Francisco Sentinel
November 9, 1989
De-Frocking Ourselves
By Doris Fish
The week after Halloween is awful. Drag is anathema to even the most benign citizens. One has to be very careful; I can’t even wear my day-glo Doris Fish t-shirt to Rhythm & Motion aerobic classes without hearing a less-than-enthusiastic, “Doesn’t she know Halloween was last week!”
Yes I know it was almost two weeks ago, but if anyone has the right to keep talking about Halloween, it’s moi! And I had a lovely evening, thank you very much. Castro Street was so jammed that I ended up socializing with a bevy of very gracious fake women, on Market Street, in very familiar garb, purchased, as it turned out, from my very own Drag Sale early last month in those innocent pre-earthquake days. I must say the “ladies” looked so much prettier at night.
But not everybody did. Revelers in appropriate costume were few and the huge crowd was mostly gawkers. At the risk of sounding like a fashion fascist, we should limit the number of spectators permitted on Castro Street or else have non-costumed types pay a fee! The money could benefit poor Drag Queens who need their wigs styled so they can meet with the Mayor to propose more Drag clubs in the city!
Despite the gawkers there were some great “looks” on the street, my favorites being the deservedly popular Super Reems. They looked sensational! Matching white and silver sequined gowns with clusters of diamonds at the neck and wrists enhancing their lovely tawny complexions. I did their makeup so they were just as pretty as they could be. After hitting Castro they wowed the crowd at “B Street” in San Mateo with a near-perfect synchronized set of favorites including “Stop! In The Name Of Love”, one of the best-loved compositions of this century!
White boys in black-face and drag may not be this year’s most politically correct choice for Halloween, but then Drag Queens have always existed in a no-man’s land in politics and the Arts, not to mention religious organizations.
“Don’t you believe in God?” A woman on the street once asked me. I assured her I did and reminded her that God, were She in human form, would have to be androgynous. And God’s Drag name is Joyce, by the way, so I was told by a young ex-Jesuit seminarian, now living as a woman in a foreign country.
But it’s not just “them” who consider Drags to be a low life-form, many gays have a have a tough time accepting men in frocks, especially if the Drag Queen is attracting public attention. I was once criticized for reading the news on the Gay Cable Network. The fact that I was not actually doing the gay news but just a gossipy bit of entertainment previews and reviews segment was beside the point, as my critic was overly concerned that I was presenting a negative stereotype to the general public. I was a threat to his chances of “acceptance from the straight community”. He wanted us all to be the straight-acting professional types and any eccentrics to be kept hidden. The fellow was a gay Nazi. The irony of it was that I later heard our audience included a large number of high school kids who not only accepted the Drag element of the show but loved it!
We all judge others by their outward appearances. The first judgment we make is gender, the second is usually sexual attractiveness, and at this point a Drag Queen is often in Limbo. She has to have a bit of charm and style to win hearts and minds after what is often a shocking first impression. But at Halloween for a few fabulous shiny moments, Queens are really Queens, the absolute Royalty of the streets. Even moms and dads point them out with glee to impressionable babies, … forgetting to inform their offspring these objects of delight and … might be called “perverts” … other night. But not on this night…thousand Queens.
That was last week. Now it’s …work on my charm and style…bigger wigs for next year!
