Drag

An art form and performance tradition in which performers exaggerate gender expression for entertainment, artistry, and commentary. Drag performers — drag queens, drag kings, and non-binary drag artists — use makeup, costume, and character to transform and entertain.

Drag is not the same as being transgender. Drag is a performance; being trans is an identity. Some drag performers are trans, some are cis, some are queer, some are straight — though the art form has deep roots in queer and ballroom culture.

Drag has existed for over a century in theatre and variety shows, and gained mainstream fame through shows like RuPaul's Drag Race. Drag is also political: drag story hours and shows have become targets of anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent years, making the art form a site of both joy and resistance.