Capital Drag: kinging in Washington, DC

Through individual interviews with three DC drag kings and detailed, first-person accounts of their performances, I examine the role the kings play within the lesbian community at Club Chaos in Dupont Circle. My interviews address how and why the kings started performing, how their drag characters relate to their everyday personalities and experiences as lesbian women, why performing in drag is important to them, why drag performances are important to the women who attend their shows, and how gay men and drag queens have responded to their performances. My descriptions of the kings' performances, the audience response, and the atmosphere they create at the club reflect my viewpoint as a lesbian audience participant who has much appreciation for drag queens and much curiosity about the burgeoning drag king scene. I conclude that drag kings provide a valuable service to lesbian communities by creating a safe, supportive environment in which lesbian performers and audience members can celebrate and explore their relationships to female masculinities and queer sexualities.