An exploration of gender from the perspective of cisgender male drag queens

Abstract

Scholars who investigate drag performance tend to focus on associations between female impersonation and gender theories or social gender norms. Current conceptualizations of drag and gender identities draw on qualitative studies that either narrowly focus on gender through theoretical lenses or that comment on gender with secondary analyses. We sought to explore multiple psychological and sociocultural dimensions of identity and drag performance using a semi-structured interview protocol. Our participants were 12 gay cisgender male drag queens. We employed Consensual Qualitative Research method to analyse the resulting transcripts and we identified the following four domains pertinent to participants’ perspectives: making sense of gender, gender expectations, female impersonation, and transition through drag. Within these domains, we identified nine categories. In general, participants reported that their participation in the study was the first time they had deeply considered the gendered implications of drag performance and/or their own gender identity. We discuss implications for gender theory and offer suggestions for future research.