Drag is an art form with a rich history of challenging dominant norms and systems
of oppression; building queer community; and cultivating experiences of queer joy
in a hostile world; but drag has also been deployed in service of violent ideologies
and can sometimes participate in harmful normative logics. Critical drag explores drag performance as an outlet for social critique, pedagogy, and queer world
making.
The Department of Women & Gender Studies, in collaboration with community partners
at the Gender Resource Office, The End, Spectrum, Westside Unitarian Church, local
drag performers, and LGBTQ organizations in Fort Worth, has produced a series of opportunities
to develop campus vocabulary and understanding of drag history and practice.
This page contains scholarship, performances, and articles about 1.) the history of
drag 2.) drag at TCU and 3.) resources for those who want to develop their own critical
drag personas.
Drag at TCU
TCU offers many opportunities to learn more about drag, including courses, articles,
performances, and lectures. Here's a look at some of the drag initiatives at TCU:
Dr. Lady J, Cleveland-based drag performer and public historian
Thank you to those who have contributed so much to this course: Kareem Khubchandani,
Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, Dr. Lady J, Deja DuBois, Mariana Gonzalez, Sapphire Davenport,
Tara St. Stone, Brock Bottoms, Fauxbia St. Stone, Buck Wylde, and Curt Rode.
In commemoration of World AIDS Day 2021 and the 40th anniversary of the first reported
cases of HIV, TCU’s Maria von Clapp and LaShawnah Tovah created a virtual poetry reading
series featuring the AIDS poetry of Michelle Cliff, Melvin Dixon, Zoe Leonard, and
more. Learn more about the history of HIV/AIDS and queer activist responses to the
epidemic:
Interested in learning more about the queer art of drag? We've compiled a list of
resources, worksheets, tutorials, and scholarship to help you get started, based on
the syllabus for WGST 30903: The Queer Art of Drag.
