You'd think after doing drag for 25 years, and being interested and following drag most of my life, I'd be over it. But every project, show, or queen cements me further. I'd never turn my back on drag, or my fellow drag sisters and friends. While RuPaul's Drag Race has exploded, and we're quickly losing count on the follow up seasons and the international versions, in addition to more further coming countries getting their due...like Brazil, Mexico, Sweden, and Japen, and more seasons of the UK, France, Aussie, and Italy. Belgium and Sverige just crowned queens. While I still like Drag Race...I'm ready to move on to see and view other projects. Like attend local drag shows again ...finally.... and go to online forums through live feed if need be. Not all queens are what we see on just Drag Race. One such community of queens is that of Demark's Copenhagen, who's queens are making their own unique mark, one lip-synch, comedy show and wise crack at a time. Not only do these queens not give a shit about being highly editorial, runway ready, or extremely fishy and trying to be as flawless as possible...but they can be liberal with make-up...many keeping facial hair, and they throw away the make-up templates, rule books, and "follow the contour", assembly line look... and opt of zany, crazy, and campy looks, A unique drag identity is emerging here. The scene is embracing this form of drag performance and the serious activism that comes with it...and it's surprisingly diverse for a city of 600,000.
Mizz Privileze
Chantal Al Arab
Jaxie
Not only do these queens have their own club nights, but they all come together to form Drag House...a blowout drag show performed quarterly. So far drag also doesn't appear to have the ignorant backlash it is getting in some other countries, but does feel it, which is why their current show is titled, Drag Is Not A Crime. Three of the cities' bearded queens were even paid tribute for work they did with communities. This fusion of fierce activism with follicles is not a new phenomenon in Copenhagen either. It's been a huge part of their drag community since the 1970's Gay Liberation Front movement, and the drag scene is one of the country's most influential of the LGBTQ for activist, who marched the streets wearing dresses, wigs and beard to demand rights and challenge heteronormative society. The queens there have figured out, when you're in drag, you command a gaze, and they don't waste the opportunity. One queen Mizz Privileze, who does a mean Freddie Mercury in her routine, started an anti- hate crime campaign where she collected over a thousand stories of hate crimes and delivered them to members of Parliament directly...and since then has sway some members to pass good bills and laws!!!
Adrianna Le Creme
Annie Reaction
Danica Dimefox
Miss Femme Fatale
The queens in Copenhagen to me, are far more diverse than what you'll see here or even in parts of France and the UK. Their quarterly drag show, Drag House, which bring together all the queens and is also open for performances from bio queens, bio kings, lesbians, drag kings and trans performers, they were far ahead of the curve of letting all perform compared to here in the US... and the shows proceeds and tips all go to community charities. Humor and clowning is a very popular component of drag there. The shows have really outgrown the gay spaces and have taken over the city into all venues, where the queen will happily pick your pockets for the good of the LGBTQ. Overall, I would say the drag scene in Copenhagen appears extremely playful, doesn't take it seriously over looks, and it's about playing with categories, such as age, gender, identity, and moving between styles and categories. Most of the queens seem to work in multiple mediums. But it's not enough to just stand on stage and lip-synch...and it seems to be prerequisite for its queens to be highly active with the community and activism. It takes more to impress Copenhageners then just a pretty look and a High NRG ditty. And I'm here for that!
