Drag Performers are a group of individuals who dress in non-traditional ways for their gender identity (such as men who dress up extremely femininely) and perform shows such as dancing, singing, lip-syncing, comedy, fashion shows, and so on. These individuals tend to switch pronouns when performing, have different names when performing, and have a character/persona they perform as.
Drag performances have been a common show in LGBTQ+ spaces, such as pride parades, as they encourage gender non-conformity, pronoun non-conformity, and the normalization of being oneself, all through theatre and shows.
There are specific etiquettes and ways in which drag is performed. The way these shows are performed vary from location, however some ways in which the shows are commonly performed are listed here.
Drag Queens
Drag Queens are the most common of drag performers. Drag Queens are men, masculine-aligned, neutral-aligned, or androgynously-aligned individuals who dress up femininely and typically use she/her pronouns when performing, regardless of what pronouns they use outside of performance. They are the most common of drag performers, and are often seen more than Drag Kings in media.
Drag Queens do not have to be assigned male at birth. They can include transgender men and transmasculine people as well. All that matters is that ones gender is masculine-aligned, and once performance is feminine-aligned.
Drag Kings
Drag Kings are women, feminine-aligned, neutral-aligned, or androgynously-aligned individuals who dress up masculinely and typically use he/him pronouns when performing, regardless of what pronouns they use outside of performance.
Drag Kings do not have to be assigned female at birth. They can include transgender women and transfeminine people as well. All that matters is that ones gender is feminine-aligned, and once performance is masculine-aligned.
Faux Queen
A Faux Queen, Diva Queen, or Hyper Queen is a term used to describe someone who is a woman or is feminine-aligned, but preforms as a Drag Queen. Even though they aren't 'crossdressing,' they still exaggerate their femininity in a way that can be described as a performance, and seen as such.
Faux King
A Faux King or Hyper King is a term used to describe someone who is a man or is masculine-aligned, but performs as a Drag King. Even though they aren't 'crossdressing,' they still exaggerate their masculinity in a way that can be described as a performance, and seen as such.
History
The first person known to describe themself as "the queen of drag" was William Dorsey Swann, born enslaved in Hancock, Maryland, who in the 1880s started hosting drag balls in Washington, DC attended by other men who were formerly enslaved, and often raided by the police, as documented in the newspapers. In 1896, Swann was convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail on the false charge of "keeping a disorderly house" (euphemism for running a brothel) and requested a pardon from the president for holding a drag ball (the request was denied).
Since then, the term drag has been used for people who do gender non-conforming performances.
Flags
The first drag pride flag was created, in 1999, by artist Sean Campbell and was called the Feather Pride Flag. The phoenix was used as a symbol of rebirth and fires of passion with which the drag community uses to raise awareness and funds for many causes.
The next Drag Pride flag came to be as a result of the efforts of the Austin International Drag Festival (AIDF) 2016. Purple represents a passion for drag, white represents how ones body and face becomes a blank slate to change and create characters on, blue represents self expression and loyalty, the crown represents leadership within the community, and the stars represents the many forms of drag.