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Drag queen divine in bikini3/11/2024 ![]() Rather than refining her argument to attack the rape jokes in the drag queen (and John Waters muse) Divine's comedy material, Bindel instead informs us that the film I Am Divine: the story of Divine reminded her why she's "always hated drag". The trouble is this loathing (self directed or not) gives Bindel legitimacy when she writes in the Spectator blogs about her acute aversion to drag queens and camp. ![]() However it's a question of demanding diversity rather than banning camp. Although I recognise the history is not the same. There are echoes of this in feminism with regard to Sarah Ditum's Cool Girl dislike. A stereotype that means you if you are a gay man people might cast you in 'feminine' or frivolous roles instead of the 'masculine' or 'ordinary' job you do or desire. Now, I understand (or I can grasp the idea as to why it is frustrating) the anger at seeing an only occasionally accurate stereotype used to portray something you identify with if this is its entirety. Carr's defiant response forced me to examine prejudices I share with all too many other gay men." And then I felt quietly ashamed to have flinched in the first place. Jones noted other gay men had responded similarly: "But then Carr faced his detractors down with aplomb: "The most homophobia I get is from gays," he tweeted back, completing his riposte with a dig at their alleged "self-loathing". Yuck, I thought to myself: that'll really help along the stereotype of gay men as a bunch of mincing court jesters." But because Carr and Peta had decided to exploit the stereotypical camp gay man: "There he was, smiling cheekily as he posed with a set of pink wings and a pink wand, beneath luminous pink text inviting us to "be a little fairy for animals". Not because Carr has chosen to work with Peta, who constantly launch offensive campaigns such as the one that mimicked domestic violence for a sexy laugh. The Guardian published two letters in response to Owen Jones's article about camp, specifically Alan Carr's Peta campaign. Last week seemed to rather indulge in fear of drag and camp. But it's time we moved on from Greer's chapter on "Pantomime Dames" and recognise that we are seeing a threat in the wrong places. A dinner party won't suddenly fall into an uncomfortable silence because someone uttered a transphobic slur in jest. It is put lightly because transphobia is not properly recognised yet. And anyone who lives to be The Whole Woman will no doubt feel a scepticism about trans (I am not saying drag and trans are by any means the same incidentally - but I note often reasons for hostility are weirdly similar). Because most people's gateway feminism is Greer I think many cis white feminist women will tell you that they went through a period of.hmm not dislike but maybe a belief that drag queens were taking the piss out of womanhood. ![]() I have written before about how my feminism has changed dramatically over the years. I wrote about music hall and the advent of women on stage. A few years ago I wrote a thesis on Drag Kings.
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