AS TOLD TO: ANTHONY LORENZO PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANCISCO GOMEZ DE VILLABOA
To some, drag is simply a comedy routine by some bloke in a bad wig, lip-syncing on the stage of a gay pub. But even the most basic of drag queen performances is, at heart, a political statement. The very act of a man breaking away from gendered expectations by wearing a dress, wig and make-up, while parading around to applause from a crowd of men who love men, can be seen as a revolutionary act of social and cultural defiance. Even if it only takes place in your local boozer.
When you factor into the equation the power of a person’s cultural identity, and the often repressive societies that we as LGBT+ people grow up in, it can be read as an even more potent statement on individuality and identity. As Attitude takes a look at queer culture around the world, we meet four inspiring artists whose identity and love of performance combine to create a tour de force of drag.