The phrase Drag King typically refers to cisgender or transgender female or non-binary performers who appear in masculine drag on stage. Drag kings typically personify the stereotypical male roles and gender ideals as part of their performance art.

A drag king will exaggerate macho male characteristics by performing masculinity on stage. Drag performers may incorporate dancing, stand-up comedy, live and lip-synching singing, acting as well as acting. Drag kings often portray very high standard masculine people like construction workers, truck drivers, rappers as well as impersonate male celebrities like Michael Jackson, Tim McGraw, Elvis Presley.

The Drag King – Getting a Seat at the Table

In the 80’s, comedian Lily Tomlin played a comedy sketch as a male lounge lizard, Tommy Velour, complete with glittery suit and a huge amount of glued on chest hair. It was a hysterical performance of a drag king persona and has been memorialized in a YouTube video. But it certainly was not the first time that a female changed her gender expression and became a drag king, for entertainment. Females adopting maleness, in fact, has been around since ancient times, as the history of male impersonation will show.

But first, let’s unpack some basic terms and definitions of what we are talking about.

Terminology

To understand the entire space of drag kings, there are a number of terms that must be defined and explained. Here goes.

Drag King

Cis or transgender females or androgynous people who assume a male persona for purposes of entertainment. This transformation into masculinity is purely and art form, usually with song and dance. Drag kings may be straight, lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, or even transgender. In fact, many live real everyday lives as females.

Drag Queen

Males who choose to adopt a female persona for entertainment purposes. They have been a part of pop culture for a while and became all the more mainstream when RuPaul’s Drag Race show was launched in 2009. It was the first queen competition series.

Androgynous

This term refers to people who have the characteristics of both male and female and who do not identify specifically as one gender or the other.

AFAB

Assigned Female at Birth

AMAB

Assigned Male at Birth

Drag Shows

These are entertainment venues in which drag kings or queens perform, sometimes competitively and sometimes simply for the purposes of entertainment. In these shows, queens and kings have exaggerated costuming, usually in the form of dress, accessories, and makeup, to support their personas.

Breeches Role

Breeches are pants or trousers, clothes usually worn by men. A term that now refers to females who take on male roles and become drag kings, usually in performance venues.

History

Yes, there is a history of drag king performers, actually dating back to the Tang Dynasty in China, even though the actual term drag king didn’t originate until 1972. Let’s have a quick look.

Ancient Times

Somewhere between 618-907 CE in China, women began impersonating men in Chinese opera. They played the roles of scholars, warriors, and emperors.

In fact, opera traditionally has historically documented record of breeches roles en travesti.

The 1700’s

One of the most influential and celebrated women in terms of drag king history is Susanna Centlivre. She was a cisgender woman, an actress, and a playwright. Her works were popular during her lifetime and well into the 1800’s. Centlivre was known as the second woman on the English stage after Aphra Behn. She was regarded as a masculine woman because of her outspoken and largely political writing.

Centlivre started performing in breeches roles in 1685. She wrote her plays during the 1700s. Centlivre raised topics like politics as well as women’s roles in society in her works.

Mo B. Dick who is a drag king superstar, said during a presentation to college students on Drag King history.

“Both Aphra Behn and Susanna Centlivre brought women’s voices and perspectives into the spotlight for the first time. They utilized their platform to write heroic, dynamic, and autonomous female characters and breeches roles and presented bold topics such as politics and women’s position in society — which women were forbidden to discuss in public” 

1800’s

Perhaps no other person has made a larger impact on the women performing as males in history in the United States than Annie Hindle. She arrived in the US from London in 1868. Hindle started her career in English music hall stages and quickly became a very popular male impersonator in America. Hindle toured all across the country impersonating swell male characters of the upper class. Her career lasted over 40 years.

20th Century

Gladys Bentley was an American blues singer who had a successful career impersonating males. She was an entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance and was openly gay during her career. One of the features of her show was a chorus line of queens. Bentley sang raunchy lyrics to popular music of the time and was active until the 1940s.

Stormé DeLarverie, one of the most well-known names, performed in male drag during the 50s and 60s. DeLarverie is also known for her role in taking part in the Stonewall uprising that began the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Modern Day

There are cisgender women, trans men, non-binary drag kings, even cisgender men performing as drag kings these days. But still they have been more marginalized in pop culture than drag queens. But this is beginning to change, as the community mobilizes and begins to push for “equality” within the larger drag community of queens.

Of course, there have been some events, some drag king competition series, and media coverage, including the International Drag King Community Extravaganza and the oldest running king contest in San Francisco. And in December 2024, it was announced that the first reality drag king competition series, hosted by drag king Murray Hill, will premiere in 2025 on the streaming service Revry. The journey is not over but is certainly on its way. And modern trailblazers – Murray Hill, Mo B. Dick, Landon Cider, and many more – are going to see that it happens.

Flags and Symbols

There are several versions of the drag pride flag. The most common features a Phoenix (symbol of rebirth and passion of the community for many causes.)

Another flag was produced and premiered at the Austin International Drag Festival in 2016

Purple = passion for drag

White = body/face as blank slate

Blue = self-expression and loyalty

Crown = leadership

Stars = many forms of drag

If you attend Pride events throughout June of each year, both flags will be seen.

Can I Be a Drag King?

That depends. A drag king is plenty more than sporting masculinity via mannerisms and dress, but your gender identity really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that drag kings are performers, and performers have talent. Can you sing; can you dance; can you lip-sync or pantomime; are you a person who is good at creating standup comedy? Perhaps you can act.

Your journey toward becoming a drag king performer is obviously more than just being masculine. If you do have a talent, is it at a level to participate in drag king competition series that may begin in small episodes in a local venue but then graduate to larger ones as time goes on?

Here are a few tips if you are set on becoming a drag king:

• Attend drag king shows, whether it is watching a season or two of Murray Hill’s reality drag king competition on Revry or attending live shows, either in person or virtually. You may find inspiration from those who have a talent similar to yours.
• There’s no rush. You may be excited about the prospect of becoming a drag king entertainer and creating your own original persona, but it takes time to perfect one.
• Connect with lesser-known drag kings more locally, join a queer theatre group, and have fun while you are working on your uniqueness and gaining support from others in the business.
• Develop your persona over time. Some drag kings have been in the business for decades and have continued to refine their personas, even creating new ones as time goes on. Do you want to be someone like Mo B. Dick, almost a Jackie Gleason figure, or more of an exaggeration of someone like James Dean. For some tips on developing your drag king persona, check out this video.
• Research the history of the drag king world. You’ll gain lots of insight about the multitude of drag king venues from ancient times forward. This article only summarized that history. You should dig deeper.

How to Support Drag Kings

Drag kings may be on the rise, but they have a long way to go. It’s really their “season” to rise, but the journey is still a long one.

Consider this: Storme de Larverie was one of the most famous drag kings of the 20th century, touring downtown areas across America with the Jewel Box Revue. And she was an activist who actually may have “thrown the first punch” at the Stonewall Riots. She died in 2014 as barely a footnote in queer history and in poverty.

The Queen has become mainstream in pop culture but not the king. And as Murray Hill once said, “For every dollar a queen makes, a drag king makes a penny.”

So, how to support the drag king, not just in June during Pride events, but as an ongoing aim to further their recognition and help to create a history for them that will last? Here are some tips:

• Use your social media platforms to celebrate the art of drag kings, not just during the Pride season, but all of the time. Publicize events and competitions wherever they occur. Feature stories about kings and re-post videos of their performances. Ask and encourage your social media tribe to share your posts.
• Locate local, regional, national and international organizations and consider donating to the cause. Money does buy publicity, recognition, and more events/competitions.
• Join forums and support groups for the king culture – you can find them online. Engage them in conversation and learn how you can help with their aim to be a force in queer and drag culture.

In the End…

Drag kings do not enjoy the mainstream popularity that queens do. And yet, they have a rich history of performance and activism. But they are moving on up; they are “forcing” themselves into the mainstream: and they are focused on becoming mainstream in pop culture. Let’s all celebrate and support their efforts – it’s about time.