gender bending

A friend of mine is a Drag King and invited us and others to see her/him perform at Oakland Metro. I figure we've gone to Miss Trans World beauty pageant where we watched Drag Queens strut their stuff, so why not catch the other end.

It was a wildly entertaining show! And I must say I appreciate anyone in a good suit, like the host Luster, from Columbus, Ohio working the Tangerine suit with red flaming socks. Mmm...mmm..mmm, he looked good! You must appreciate beauty however it comes.

[Oh wait, we're supposed to say, "aw, sukey, sukey!" which was the cheer if we liked anything. You pronounce it in the back of your throat.]

Drag Kings mostly lip sync since they don't usually take the kinds of hormones that some Drag Queens do to switch their voice. It's much harder to sing down than to sing up. I don't mind, because they tend to make up for it with alot of showmanship, and let me tell you there was a lot of "show man"-ship there!

I guess I tend not to see people's gender as much as I "feel" the energy of a person's gender. If they feel more feminine but look like a guy, they're female to me. If they feel more male but look like a woman, well they're a guy to me. And I'll use whichever genderized pronoun they prefer.

I try not to think about things like well if she looks like a he and goes out with a woman, does that make him a lesbian? I don't really care. It seems trivial to the question of are they happy? And does it really change the way I interact with them? No, not really. And if I'm aroused, does that make me gay? No, not really.

And like some Drag Queens who change to men offstage, some of the Drag Kings are women women off the stage. They just perform as men.

A few of our tablemates were torn between watching the whole show or heading home to catch the season premiere of "the L word" on Showtime, which I hear is getting rave reviews for its excellent ensemble writing.

The host, Luster, worked the crowd and said there was a little something for everyone tonight and he was true to his word!

Highlights:

Januun who did a couple of Bangara techno beat songs. That boy could DANCE!

Carlos Las Vegas, who you know had to be a Pinoy from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, because he ended with some cheek showing chapshorts and a pink and white leather vest. Our mostly Pinoy table spot him a mile away. Only a Pinoy would call himself Las Vegas and put on a flashy show the way he did, though he admitted to feeling "shy". Winnipeg is the home of the International Drag King Extravaganza! It was easy choice for him to come down to Oakland. It's minus 17 degrees in Canada.

A burlesque dancer, Simone de la Getto, from Harlem Shake Burlesque who could make taking off a glove the most tantilizing erotic thing! It was my first time to see burlesque. Harlem Shake Burlesque continues a tradition of African American burlesque troops. Watching her I appreciated the "art" of burlesque, the art of the tease, showing yet not showing, there's a pacing to it.

Nappy Groove, this foursome act that was working the group choreography. Two of them did an R&B tune that I just will never be able to sing the same way again. Let's just say that it had something to do with lending a hand, which led to "hand job". And that's all I'll say about that.

Papa Dino (my friend) doing a Santana song. With the sideshow of "Daddy" and the audience member. I really couldn't see most of it cuz the Fiance's head was in the way. ahem.

Luster was the ultimate entertainer, with three changes of clothes, did an R&B tune and ended the show with a bit of country then stripped into a female persona for some hard rock complete with fishnet stockings and thick platform boots lip syncing to Bad Company's "Feel like making love."

By the end of the night, dollar bills were thrown to the stage and the erotic fever hit the dance floor. Though the fiance was a bit shocked, it wasn't like any of it was anything that doesn't happen at hetero clubs or gay men clubs. Then again, it's been a long while since we went to a club.

What I like about watching Drag shows is the illusion of it all. How they change my view of the world in what I presume and assume of myself and of others. He/she, him/her, beauty is beauty, a good show is a good show.