It is now time for the first episode of "Ask THE VALE", where you send me your questions, whatever they may be, and I try my best to answer them. These questions can be anything from asking my opinion on political issues, to advice on relationships, or if you just want to ask me something you've always wanted to know. I try to keep myself educated, so hopefully we can ALL learn something from this column!
Currently, you can submit your questions directly to me by email, either through regular email or on here at GayIndy.com. Please rest assured that any questions that you wish to remain anonymous will stay so!
Q: How do you get started being a Drag Queen?- Interested in Irvington
A: Well, that's actually a much more complex question than it seems. I think if you were to ask just about any performer in the art of the female impersonation, you would hear MANY different stories. Some (although not most) have the desire to eventually make to transition to full womanhood, so they find drag a way to help with the transition. Others use it as an outlet to entertain the masses, they are entertainers at heart. Still others (I like to put myself in this category) use the art of female impersonation to try to raise awareness on various topics, while being a visible role model in the community. As such, the ways of starting are numerous. My best simple advice is this- EVALUATE yourself to truly find what you are looking for before you decide to dive into drag, Many don't realize how EXPENSIVE and TIME CONSUMING drag is, plus you have to learn how to do MAKEUP and HAIR yourself- as 90% of the time you aren't going to have someone to do it for you. (I don't think that most people realize that female impersonators do all of that themselves- I always get asked who does my makeup.) :^) If you TRULY decide that you can't live without doing drag, them my true advice is to befriend a female impersonator that you look up to, and ask them if they can give you a few pointers here and there. DON'T just come out and ask a queen "Will you be my Drag Mother?" as just about any good entertainer will RUN AWAY SCREAMING when someone they don't know asks this question. LOL. The relationship between drag parents and children should be close in all aspects, not just on the stage. For example, Vicki St. James is my drag mother and I truly consider her to be an extended member of my family, and we spend time together outside of drag multiple times a week.
Q- What do you think of this Scandal about the titties out a Pride? - "Hank", Indy
Well, this is a touchy subject. Before I dive in, let me just say that I know Cezanne on a somewhat personal level. I met her two years ago and spend Christmas night with her and Robinn Dupree. we went out to dinner, visited Cezanne's ailing mother, and went to see the show at The Connection in Louisville . Besides being an AMAZING entertainer , COMPLETELY gorgeous, and a MULTIPLE National Titleholder (she's won just about everything), she is a VERY sweet, soft-spoken and nice individual. That being said, I cannot POSSIBLY see that anything that she would have done to have been to purposefully offend or cause controversy. I think that the main concern here was that in the context of the costume- the fact that it was downtown Indianapolis for all to see. As many of you bar-goers know, the costume in and of itself is mild when in context to a BAR setting. Now, what I am hearing now is that people are wanting to impose fines upon Talbott Street or the promoters of Pride for what happened, and to them I say this- WHY? Everything has been done, and what good would be imposing a fine now do? Where would the money even go? I think that hindsight is truly 20/20, and although I personally would not have wore the outfit myself, I DO NOT think that any malice was made in the wearing of it, although I do see where some were upset by its context. I know that Indy Pride has FOR SEVERAL YEARS been sure to ingrain in its performers that more conservative costumes are desired. A few years ago, an entertainer was talked to because while her breasts were not out, she showed "too much cleavage". Anyone who has worked pride for the last few years would probably be able to vouch for that. HOWEVER, Cezanne is from FLORIDA , and this was her first Indy Pride. She was most likely completely unaware of said rule, so you really can't fault her. Different Prides in different cities are no doubt different, and I know that at certain Pride festivals across the country, public and total nudity is commonplace. (I have never been to such an event, nor would I care to comment at this time on my opinion of that matter) :^) For example, at our PRIDE here in Indy, we are in the MIDDLE of downtown in the MIDDLE of a Saturday in June, and there fore VERY visible. Also, we encourage our pride-goers to bring their FAMILIES, which means that CHILDREN (and dogs) are everywhere. This is not the case with ALL prides, so I can see where some confusion may come from out-of-town guests, but again I do not think that anyone meant any malice. The entertainers, if they were unaware, should have taken time to EDUCATE themselves with the rules, regulations, and workings of the Indy PRIDE celebration before choosing costuming. I know that we here in Indy that perform are WELL aware of the rules, but again, the performer in question was from out of town. I realize that this makes no difference to a passerby on the street, or a child that now has several questions for her two daddies, but I think this has DEFINATELY been a learning expierence for those involved. Furthermore, the people who put the drag shows together for this year are also rather new, as this is only the second Indy Pride that they have put together. Other than this said incident, most have said that this year's Pride Shows were STELLAR, and that many enjoyed them tremendously. (Okay, I've tried to reamin very positive and subjective here.) :^)
NOW, as for my opinion on the matter, I think I will once again use a quote from Vicci Laine, "'Ya Better Clean up the backyard before you invite the neighbors over for a barbecue". Let me give you something to ponder really quick. Is it our PREROGATIVE to choose what to wear at pride events which are seen in the public eye? SURE. Is it the Right of ANY man or woman to walk down the street at any time of the day or night wearing only what is required by law? By the same token, YES. However, just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. Please keep in mind how you would feel if you saw a man wearing nothing but a pink thong and pink Afro walking around monument circle during lunch hour on any given day. Sure, you would think that he's loony toons. Now, put that same man in the context of the middle of a pride celebration, and what do you say then? "Oh, he's got PRIDE!" Do you know what people OUTSIDE of our community say? Yep, they think he's still Loony Toons!- And guess what else? They think EVERYONE around him must be Loony, too, for letting him do it! Now, back to my original question- Is it is PREROGATIVE, even his RIGHT to wear his pink thong and Afro? Just as long as it's not legally indecent, sure. The same can be said for any man or woman of ANY sexuality. HOWEVER, please keep in mind that for many outside of our community, the ONLY time they come into contact (so they think) with the GLBT community is that one Saturday in June when they have to drive down Meridian Street and they see all of those "Crazy Gay People" wearing nothing but skimpy clothes and parading around half-naked.
In one of my psychology courses, we researched a study in which children were shown pictures of various breeds of dogs, and asked to learn the breeds. They were shown three or four different pictures of different beagles, all of which were wearing green scarves around their necks. When shown a fifth picture of a beagle, again with a green scarf around its neck, they were able to correctly identify BEAGLE. They were then show various Basset Hounds, which are no doubt larger, squattier, and much slower than the beagles. The Basset hounds were all wearing broad red collars. After a few pictures of Basset Hounds in broad red collars, they were able to distinguish NEW photos of Basset hounds with their red collars as such. Can you guess what happened, when after a potty break and snack time, the children were shown photos of BEAGLES in RED COLLARS and BASSET HOUNDS in GREEN SCARVES? You would be correct of you guessed that the children incorrectly guessed the Red-collar wearing Beagles as Basset Hounds and vice-versa. Please keep in mind that adults who choose not to educate themselves retain this same level of thinking as the children in this study. Can you see, then, how a passer-by can incorrectly label the OUTFIT as "Gay person"- rather than the person wearing it, just as the children incorrectly associated the green scarf as "Beagle"? Now, at this point, you might be lost- Stay with me for a minute. Now, when this lady walking down Pennsylvania street sees these articles of clothing and these actions that are taking place at Pride, she immediately associates them DIRECTLY with "GAY", and then when she goes to vote for gay rights bills, she is going to be more inclined to vote NO as all she knows of gays is that they wear no clothing and grind on each other. She doesn't realize that she is voting to take rights away from the young kid that lives next door to her that she so admires as he goes to college everyday, nor does she realize that she is taking away the rights of her business-professional sister, who has chosen to lead a life of secrecy with her female "friend" that just always happens to come over for family get-togethers. So yes, it is your PREROGATIVE, even your RIGHT to wear whatever the hell you want during PRIDE, just as it is every other day of the year, but please consider the ramifications of such and make informed decisions. Do you see how it might be more productive to just try to be a MEMBER OF SOCIETY, just as you are every other day of the year when in a PUBLIC VENUE such as pride? Then later that night, we can all get together in the comfort of our own venues and show off our tans and how hard we've been working out in the gym. Keep in mind that we are still a MINORITY, and if we truly want "equal rights", we have to prove we are just that- EQUAL, not different.
THE VALEIf a man can look this good, there is absolutely NO excuse for an Ugly Woman!
| | The administrator has disabled public write access.
