Happy Pride, Baltimore! It's that time again to celebrate our queerness. I love this time of year. It's my favorite month (starts off with my birthday). It's my favorite season. And right in the middle of it, we have this great celebration. My favorite thing about Pride is the display of outrageousness. But this is where my hometown disappoints. Baltimore is home to some scary drag queens. Listen, I love drag queens. The effort that goes into transforming oneself and then entertaining us is amazing. Or not. In Baltimore, our drag queens leave something to be desired. And I think the problem is that there just aren't enough of them. Competition breeds creativity. Well, we lack competition here in Charm City.
Pride weekend is the time for queers to show what they are made of, to be the most outrageous we can be. I was disappointed that the block party, which should bring out the freakiest of our folk, really lacked any sense of grandiosity. The best we had to offer was these three lovely gals (sorry for the poor quality, took the picture with my phone). The one on the left was very impressive with her headdress of fresh flowers.
There is some hope for us who love drag queens. Andora Te'tee (shown above), Miss Gay Maryland 2006, is truly lovely. I met the fellow behind Andora years ago, before he was 21, and he aspired to be a drag queen. And he followed that dream to its fullest and truly embodies the energy of a glamorous woman. You can see the effort he makes to look like a woman. I love it.
Baltimore drag is like the ugly, illegitimate child of Washington, DC and New York. We try so hard to get attention, but we just don't get it. Despite our challenges, there are those in this town dedicated to keeping hope alive by hosting drag shows and providing a venue for our struggling drag queens. The Hippo is the center of our drag community. They are the proud sponsors of the Miss Gay Maryland contest. They even plan drag king shows when kings are available. Friday nights are Female Impersonation night. And there's always a drag queen on hand for Gay Bingo.
I'm not trying to be over critical here. Goodness knows those drag queens are (at times) more feminine then I'll ever be. I just think Baltimore needs to get over its low self-esteem. Baltimore can be home to a thriving, creative gay scene. Let's just do it instead of going to DC or New York to get our fix.
Baltimore drag is like the ugly, illegitimate child of Washington, DC and New York. We try so hard to get attention, but we just don't get it. Despite our challenges, there are those in this town dedicated to keeping hope alive by hosting drag shows and providing a venue for our struggling drag queens. The Hippo is the center of our drag community. They are the proud sponsors of the Miss Gay Maryland contest. They even plan drag king shows when kings are available. Friday nights are Female Impersonation night. And there's always a drag queen on hand for Gay Bingo.
I'm not trying to be over critical here. Goodness knows those drag queens are (at times) more feminine then I'll ever be. I just think Baltimore needs to get over its low self-esteem. Baltimore can be home to a thriving, creative gay scene. Let's just do it instead of going to DC or New York to get our fix.
No comments:
Post a Comment