In the world of Drag it is often seen as a aspect of LGBT culture dominated by sound, with music and lip synching being a central activity. But what does this mean for those within the drag scene who are Deaf? Disability and Deafness in the drag scene are not often discussed issues, however the voices of Deaf and Disabled drag performers are making it known that they are here and deserve to be heard. A (previous) Duo of Deaf drag queens you predominantly did comedy sketch videos on YouTube known as Deafies in Drag were one of the biggest names in Deaf Drag.
Many of the groups' sketches were done in Drag and consisted mainly of comedy sketches revolving around being Deaf in a hearing world, an issue many members of the Deaf community come to relate on. They would also often do in-person performances.
One of the duos' members, known in drag as Casavina, recently resigned from the channel, which leaves much to be questioned about the future of the channel as well as the group as a whole given their large online presence.
But despite their departure for now there are also other notable examples of Deaf drag performers making their voices known within the community. Lola McQueen, a Deaf, Belgian drag queen became a known name after she had won Belgium's Got Talent for her performance of "This is Me". While not a drag performer himself, Deaf actor Nyle DiMarco spoke about his experiences with being both LGBT and Deaf in a Video where he received a drag makeover by drag queen Miz Cracker. The discussion while not entirely drag centered gave insight in the life of someone who is involved with both of these aspects of their identity. DiMarco discussed what acting meant to him as someone who is Deaf and the work he has done to make Deaf roles and Deaf acting more known and accepted, many of these things still very much being applicable to Drag.
For many Deaf performers looking to make their name known the challenge lies not in them being Deaf, but rather a hearing world that treats deafness like a bad thing that is to be overcame or pitied. But these performers aim to change that. There lies a form of intersectionality between the queer identities of these people as well as their Deaf identities. There is no question that there lies forms of audism within the drag/LGBT community, with many doubting the ability for deaf drag performers to perform in a community dominated by sound. But this belief only enforces that discrimination as many fail to understand how Deaf performers, and people in general, perceive the world, many assuming they are living a life lacking something when in fact the opposite is true.
Citations
- Deaf drag queen slays lip sync on Belgium's Got talent – leaves judges speechless. (2019, October 07). Retrieved May 10, 2021, from https://www.out.tv/en_IE/news/deaf-drag-queen-slays-lip-sync-on-belgiums-got-talent-leaves-judges-speechless/?acceptCookies=609990ac48c9d
- Outmagazine. (2017, May 25). Meet Deafies in Drag: YouTube's Deaf, Latino Comedy Duo. OUT. https://www.out.com/popnography/2017/5/25/meet-deafies-drag-youtubes-deaf-latino-comedy-duo.
- Them. "Nyle DiMarco Gets A Drag Makeover From Miz Cracker." YouTube, Feb. 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72tgJtgmLhE&ab_channel=them
- Jordan T. "Lola McQueen - 'This is Me' (Deaf Drag Queen) | Belgium's Got Talent 2019." YouTube, Nov. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se45iNTeb4E&ab_channel=JordanT
Opmerkingen