Faux queen Holy McGrail (right) during a performance at San Francisco's Trannyshack Star Search night.

A faux queen or bio queen is a "drag queen trapped in a woman's body"^[1] sometimes called a "biologically-challenged" drag queen or a "female female impersonator"^[2] or even a "female impersonator impersonator"^[3] who simply is biologically female. Like traditional drag queens and drag kings these performance artists play with traditional gender roles and gender norms to educate and entertain. Faux queens can appear alongside drag kings at lesbian drag shows and are interchangeable with "regular" (biologically male) drag queens as emcees, performers, hostesses, and spokesmodels.^[4]

For some it can be a way to redefine post-modern feminism, faux queen Ms. Lucia Love stated, "Drag queens would be nowhere without women."^[5] For others it simply is about dressing up and having fun.^[6] In the words of faux queen Hoku Mama Swamp "I was born to love faggots, queens, and trannies, and have slowly been morphing into them since childhood."^[7]

In San Francisco, the first ever Faux Queen Pageant was produced as a benefit by the Klubstitute Kollective^[7] to raise funds and provide a space for the performers who, at the time, weren't always welcome in regular drag venues. Pageant organizer Ruby Toosday had "friends who got fired (from drag clubs) for being women...it seemed like we had definitely hit a nerve.^[2] Contestants were judged on drag, talent, and personality by an all-star panel of judges^[8] and the winner helped "femcee" the following year.

Crickett Bardot, San Francisco Faux Queen Pageant winner 2003,^[9] outside The EndUp bar that hosts Trannyshack.

"Girls will be boys will be girls" is the subtitle for the comedy film Connie and Carla which is amongst the high-profile popular culture references to faux queens.^[12]

References

See also

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