Jacob Hise wrote his sophisticated, lively paper for WR 151: Burning Questions, a course where students create an academic research project on a topic of their choosing. Jacob\u2019s essay makes a strong, well-researched argument for the presence of a movement of drag culture away from its activist roots and toward an art form that represents what psychologist, LGBTQIA activist, and community organizer Dr. Don Kilhefner has called <\/span>gay assimilationism<\/span><\/i>, or a watering-down of queer culture in the service of conforming to cisheteronormativity. In particular, Jacob focuses on the popular television show <\/span>RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/span><\/i>,<\/span> which, he argues, serves as a mainstream arbiter of drag culture and actively demonstrates the new commercialization of drag. This commodification, Jacob argues, leans all the way toward creating an environment where the heterosexual appropriation of drag culture is permissible and even encouraged. Jacob\u2019s paper takes us on an exciting trip through the historical and cultural beginnings of drag and leads us to a sharp interrogation of the television\u2019s show\u2019s handling of this long-standing cultural practice in the queer community. The implications of Jacob\u2019s analysis are vital and timely. I\u2019m so proud of Jacob for creating this important project, and I suspect this won\u2019t be the last time we see his name in print!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Growing up as a queer child in rural North Carolina, gay culture was something hidden from me. My 3rd grade music teacher, a gay man, would become squeamish\u00a0when we’d ask if he was married. Some mocked his voice while others whispered in the hallways that they don’t understand how a man can love another man. In this environment, I\u00a0always felt out of place, like something was wrong with me. Queer repression had already gripped me by the age of 7: I’d even begin to cry if someone dared to ask me who my crush was. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I’d respond, “I can’t get crushes.” I didn’t know that queerness was a viable option. Around 4th grade, I was given an iPod, and inadvertently stumbled into\u00a0online queer culture. I fell in love with that world. Online, I didn’t have to worry about being asked if I was a boy or a girl, if I was secretly gay, or any other microaggressive questions. I was accepted as whatever I wanted to be, whenever I wanted to be it. By 6th grade, I discovered\u00a0<\/span>RuPaul’s Drag Race\u00a0<\/span><\/i>through online memes. Watching season six of\u00a0<\/span>RuPaul’s<\/span><\/i>, I was enamored with the glamorous,\u00a0sexy, and theatrical lives of the queens on screen. I imagined I was them as I watched. I yearned for my queer experience to come out of the screen and into real life. As I became older, I had the opportunity to forge distinctly queer spaces and feel the healing power of in-person community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The longer I spent in face-to-face queer spaces, the more I noticed a stark divide between those who engaged solely in online queer culture and those who invested in their local communities. It was difficult to put my finger on at first, and I honestly haven’t quite understood the difference still, but it is something like a lack of knowledge of collective history. Slang is thrown around and gestures are adopted, but no one really knows what they are really saying or why they are saying it. The decades of secret, inner-community language that kept us queer people safe suddenly exploded into the mainstream. A large reason for this is the popularity of\u00a0<\/span>RuPaul’s Drag Race<\/span><\/i>. Easily accessible, the show is able\u00a0to introduce drag culture, and by extension, queer culture into predominant heterosexual society. “That’s tea” became a universal tongue-in-cheek comment,\u00a0no longer a code to clue other\u00a0queer individuals that you’re also queer. I’ve asked many of my peers if they knew what “tea” alludes to or how it originated. None knew. This alarmed me, and still does. It denoted that queer culture was assimilating with cisgender heterosexual culture. No longer was gay something to hide within American systems, but something to embrace. The language of drag queens and the artistry on\u00a0<\/span>RuPaul’s Drag Race\u00a0<\/span><\/i>became a commodity. It became something that heterosexuals expressed themselves through, whether that meant something as small as adopting slang, or something as visible as practicing drag. The contention between drag history and modern drag culture became evermore pressing in my mind. Hence, when I joined Prof. Samantha Myers\u2019s\u00a0writing course and was told I could write about anything I wanted, I knew that queer cultural integration needed to be explored. Upon researching, I found myself immersed in the beautiful and revolutionary world of the drag queens of our past. “You’re Born Naked, and the Rest is Capitalism” aims to educate a new generation of queer and non-queer Americans, as well as question the way we view queerness in our digital age.<\/span><\/p>\n The American inception of drag was deeply rooted in the radical politics of queer\u00a0 counterculture. Each drag performance was a protest against the gender binary, a call to shift the\u00a0 fundamental modes in which America was run. In the wake of \u00a0=RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> \u2019s popularity,\u00a0 drag politics have been uprooted due to the messaging of the television show\u2019s host, RuPaul\u00a0 Andre Charles. He frames drag through a lens of gaining the respect of and assimilating with\u00a0 cisheterosexual neoliberal America. Queen\u2019s looks become extremely polished and each\u00a0 performer is encouraged to have a brand; something that can be bought, owned, and sold. For the\u00a0 sake of capital gain, which is afforded through assimilation, RuPaul has chiseled away at what\u00a0 drag used to be, presenting America with a wholly new concept of what drag is. This political\u00a0 rhetoric is one of \u00a0gay assimilationism<\/em> , which sanitizes the art of drag for the sake of acceptance\u00a0 into cisgender, heterosexual society. <\/span><\/p>\n The inception of drag as we know it today was created as an avenue for black resilience.\u00a0 While there are many documented cases of female impersonation prior to the 1880s, \u00a0drag <\/em>refers to enacting gender performatively. The focus of this paper will specifically be on drag \u00a0queens<\/em> , a\u00a0 subset of drag that is characterized by the performer subverting and commenting on feminine\u00a0 gender roles. The first true \u00a0queen <\/em>was William Dorsey\u00a0 Swann, a previously enslaved African\u00a0 American, who dubbed herself the \u201cQueen of Drag\u201d (Daniels and Takach 16). She discreetly\u00a0 hosted cakewalking balls (Daniels and Takach 16), a style of dance founded by enslaved\u00a0 Africans parodying the pompous mannerisms of plantation owners (Pugh 17). The presence of\u00a0 this dance style in combination with gendered performance signals a rebellion against white <\/span>America, the same America that enforced cisgender-heterosexual norms. Despite the ongoing societal oppression and risk of legal issues, Swann and other queens celebrated queerness, a\u00a0 political act of self-love during such a stifling time for LGBTQ+ citizens (\u201cDrag Queens, The\u00a0 First Amendment\u2026\u201d 1474). Swann was dubbed the first queer activist after she fought police\u00a0 officers during a raid of one of her balls, protecting the privacy and rights of the other attendees\u00a0 as they fled amidst the confusion (Daniels and Takach 17). She refused to back down to her\u00a0 oppressors despite her class as a queer black man in America, setting the precedent for all queens\u00a0 after her as the freedom fighters of the LGBTQ+ movement. <\/span><\/p>\n Moving into the 20th century, drag performance continued in queer circles despite\u00a0 homophobic laws that fundamentally questioned queer bodily autonomy. Notably, the \u00a0genderfuck <\/em>\u00a0style of drag developed in the 1960s, pioneered in the West Coast drag scene by beloved troupe \u00a0The Cockettes <\/em>\u00a0(Thompson, \u201cChildren of Paradise\u201d 52).\u00a0 This extraordinarily queer group\u00a0 performed in beautiful gowns with full-grown beards and glamorous make-up with hairy chests\u00a0 against the backdrop of thrifted props and cardboard set pieces, markedly D.I.Y. (Thompson,\u00a0 \u201cChildren of Paradise\u201d 52, 56). Fellow West Coast queen Jos\u00e9 Sarria, who performed parodies of\u00a0 operas in The Black Cat bar in the 1950s, noted the importance of drag to make commentary on\u00a0 gender roles and keep a queer consciousness alive in the wake of anti-vice and anti-crossdressing\u00a0 laws in America (\u201cDrag Queens, The First Amendment\u201d 1476-77; Thompson, \u201cChildren of\u00a0 Paradise\u201d 53). Drag imbued the minds of queer youth and elders with an urge to fight, a critical\u00a0 questioning of the oppressive manner in which America was run. <\/span><\/p>\n This boiling anger culminated in the Stonewall Rebellion, where unsurprisingly, drag\u00a0 queens were at the forefront of the battle. The routinely police-raided Stonewall Inn, a queer\u00a0 nightlife club in NYC, was once again raided in June 1969 by NYPD\u2019s First Division (Baumann, <\/span>\u201cIntroduction\u201d 13). Patrons fought back against the arrests occurring, leading police to seek\u00a0 refuge within the Inn itself (Segal 154). Many of the privileged queer patrons ran away, while\u00a0 others, namely drag queens, self-identified transvestites, and sex workers (Baumann,\u00a0 \u201cIntroduction\u201d 14; Segal 153; Thompson, \u201cChildren of Paradise\u201d 55), began throwing loose\u00a0 objects from the streets at the cowering police (Segal 154). Two notable queens who fought this\u00a0 battle were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who in part founded the Street Transvestites\u00a0 Action Revolutionaries (STAR) (Young 261). STAR was a radical left organization, of which the\u00a0 manifesto states: \u201c[t]ransvestites and gay street people and all oppressed people should have free\u00a0 education, health care, clothing, food, transportation, and housing\u201d (\u201cSTAR Manifesto\u201d). The\u00a0 explicit radicalism of this group displays the fact that in the late 20th century, leftist politics were\u00a0 a driving factor in the ideal of queer liberation. It is important to note that at the time, there was\u00a0 no well-established societal understanding of transgender identities, even though there were\u00a0 those with gender incongruence. Instead there were transvestites, who viewed themselves as gay\u00a0 men who performed drag in everyday life and identified more closely with cisgender women, as\u00a0 Marsha P. Johnson explains in her interview with Allen Young (271). Many drag queens who\u00a0 categorized themselves as transvestites may have aligned with transgender identities as they exist\u00a0 in the 21st century. <\/span><\/p>\n Thus, the liberation of the gay man, the drag queen, and the transvestite were one in the same. Another notable active queer liberation group of the time was the Mattachine Society, whom STAR was inspired by (Baumann, \u201cAppendix\u201d 350); incepted in the 1950s (Baumann, \u201cIntroduction\u201d 15; Thompson, \u201cHarry Hay\u201d 188), most initial members of the Mattachine <\/span>Society were leftist activists (Thompson, \u201cHarry Hay\u201d 187) and continuously called for queer\u00a0 Americans to unite in the wake of Stonewall (Baumann, \u201cAppendix\u201d 351). Politics, and\u00a0 importantly radical ones, have been tied to queer liberation amongst drag queens since the fight began with the Queen of Drag, William Dorsey Swann. These movements did not seek to fit in\u00a0 with heterosexual culture, but rather, exist in an entirely transformed America. The nation that\u00a0 drag queens sought to forge was one where gender was ignored, allowing freedom to conduct\u00a0 oneself without definite, stifling expectations and systems. This philosophy extends itself to\u00a0 other systemic boxes, such as people operating as modes of production. These queens dared to\u00a0 assert that homelessness and sex work were not a disease\u2014some kind of moral failure\u2014as\u00a0 STAR asserts that these classes \u00a0deserve <\/em>\u00a0food, housing, and other necessities. Marsha P. Johnson\u00a0 even states, \u201c[w]e believe in picking up the gun, starting a revolution if necessary\u201d (Young 263).\u00a0 Her unabashed support of righteous violence goes hand-in-hand with her dream of a pro-queer\u00a0 United States. To Marsha P. Johnson, a trailblazer of gay liberation, the queer should not seek\u00a0 rights through assimilation, but through demonstrated strength and resilience. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Through its popularity, RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>\u00a0has begun\u00a0 shifting the way drag is viewed by larger American society and within the drag scene itself. The art of drag was historically used by\u00a0 queer individuals, those whose sexualities and genders did not match what was viewed as\u00a0 acceptable by cisheteronormative society. RuPaul majorly subverted this aspect of the drag\u00a0 movement when Maddy Morphosis competed in Season 14 as the first cisgender, heterosexual man-identifying queen on RPDR <\/em>\u00a0(\u201cBig Opening No. 2\u201d 7:09). The inclusion of a non-queer drag\u00a0 queen highlights the apolitical nature of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>. The queer queen is dethroned to\u00a0 make way for a space where any drag artist is worthy of being on such a popular franchise. Drag on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>\u00a0is positioned as an art form\u00a0 that anyone can participate in, as long as they\u00a0 are worthy of being in the running for \u201cAmerica\u2019s Next Drag Superstar\u201d (RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> ). While Maddy Morphosis did not win Season 14, if she did, it is worth noting that a straight heterosexual man would have claim to the largest drag title in the American drag scene. <\/span><\/p>\n While drag used to primarily be utilized as a political statement, RuPaul has begun\u00a0 unravelling these motivations through focus on aesthetics and visual intrigue. In most episodes, queens are implicitly expected to shave their legs and wear things that accentuate small waists, bolstering Western beauty standards (Jeffrey 10). While it is not true of all past queens, many\u00a0 drag queens did not attempt to assimilate with beauty standards so heavily. This is displayed by <\/span>Jos\u00e9 Sarria\u2014one of the most beloved queens of the 1950s (Thompson, \u201cChildren of Paradise\u201d 53)\u2014who can be seen embracing her natural waist, eyebrows, and facial structure in her\u00a0 performances at The Black Cat (Jos\u00e9 Sarria\u2026<\/em> ). As a latin\u00e9 queen, she performs with raw\u00a0 make-up that lacks the slimming contouring that many drag queens on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>adopt. Most contestants present sanitized, marketable versions of drag. Two Season 15 queens,\u00a0 Sugar and Spice, began drag on TikTok, admitting on air that, \u201c[w]e have, like, [done] one or two\u00a0 performances, and they were a nightmare\u201d (\u201cOne Night Only, Pt. 1\u201d 2021). \u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> \u2019s casting is heavily selective due to the reputation\u00a0 it has, yet two queens who had barely performed live were chosen to compete on the biggest drag competition in America. While they did not have live performance skills, what they did have was an established brand, reflected in\u00a0 their TikTok following of about 4 million followers as of 2021 (Allaire). Many of their videos\u00a0 =show them transforming from conventionally attractive men to drag queens with polished make up and expensive outfits. As seen in their TikToks, they apply make-up and zoom in to reveal\u00a0 airbrushed skin (Sugar and Spice 2021). This flawless framing extends to RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> ,\u00a0 where each drag queen\u2019s skin is perfect, costumes professionally made, make-up flattering. Examining a still from Season 17 episode 4 at 24:03, both Onya Nurve and Susie Toot have poreless faces and lace-front wigs, which are typically used because they markedly look more natural than laceless wigs. Clearly, RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>\u00a0demonstrates a focus on current ideals of\u00a0 beauty and perfection. <\/span><\/p>\n These changes to drag culture point to a larger shift in the meaning of drag, which falls\u00a0 under the category of \u00a0gay assimilationism<\/em>, a queer\u00a0 political framework pioneered by Dr. Don\u00a0 Kilhefner. As Dr. Kilhefner argues, this political framework is based on the idea that \u201c[queer\u00a0 people are] no different from anybody else except for what we do in bed\u201d (Kilhefner 125). To a gay assimilationist, a gay man, a lesbian, or any other queer-identifying person are inherently the\u00a0 same as a cisheterosexual. Thus, this means that homosexuals and transgender individuals\u00a0 deserve to and \u00a0must <\/em>\u00a0exist in tandem with cisheterosexual culture. Gay assimilationism values economic gain and respectability, inherently valuing cisheterosexist views because of this (Kilhefner 125). The gay assimilationist must <\/em>sacrifice their queerness to find success in <\/span>America\u2019s current systems, as these systems were built on and thrive under oppression (Harris\u00a0 141). Kilhefner points to gay assimilationist political success as engaging with what the\u00a0 heterosexual sees as such: accumulation of power through competition (125). RuPaul and the messaging of his show fall in line with this framework, especially in terms of commercialization and the inherent assimilation he must concede to for said capitalistic gain. <\/span><\/p>\n The entire show, each season and episode, is structured around what RuPaul deems as\u00a0 good or bad drag, high art versus low art. Each episode (one episode is edited-down from a\u00a0 week-long filming session), queens compete in both a \u201cmini-challenge\u201d and \u201cmaxi-challenge,\u201d as well as strut on the runway in accordance to the category RuPaul assigns that week (RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>). Each episode, there are countless camp references made, such as when RuPaul states: \u201ccategory is\u2026\u201d when announcing the runway theme that week (RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>).\u00a0 This is a reference to the highly influential drag film\u00a0Paris is Burning<\/em> , which documents the NYC Bronx ballroom\/vogueing scene during the late 1980s (Paris is Burning<\/em> 0:15:33). At the end of each episode, RuPaul and a panel of judges, which always includes a celebrity guest judge, critique the queens\u2019 looks on the runway and their performance in the maxi-challenge <\/span>(RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>). This portion of the episode marks RuPaul as a spokesperson for what drag\u00a0 should be portrayed as, and this is perpetuated through the lens of what RuPaul has accomplished\u00a0 (Schottmiller 86). The queen with both the best look and who serves the most \u201ccharisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent\u201d in their maxi-challenge\u2014a marketable catchphrase that spells\u00a0 \u2018cunt,\u2019 a common compliment in queer spaces\u2014wins for that week (RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>). The two queens with the worst performance that week must \u201clip sync for their life,\u201d ending with one ultimately being eliminated (RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>). The usage of \u201cfor their life\u201d by RuPaul situates his television show as a metaphorical life or death situation, imbuing the importance his show has on a queen\u2019s reputation inside the competition and for their future career. As <\/span>Schottmiller argues, this facet positions RuPaul as the mentor for both the queens competing, as\u00a0 well as drag race viewers (100). Additionally, the show\u2019s frequent camp references market RuPaul as knowledgeable on queer culture, therefore marking her status as \u201cMother Ru\u201d a valid one (Schottmiller 86). <\/span><\/p>\n RuPaul makes drag palatable to heterosexual culture for his own capital gain. Capitalism is a predominant manner in which cisheteronormativity is perpetuated, as the continued function\u00a0 of American capitalism relies on society\u2019s participation in the system (Nguyen 115). As Nguyen\u00a0 summarizes, this culminates as social reproduction\u00a0 processes,<\/em> which are facilitated through the\u00a0 following three modes: replenishing the current worker (food, clothing, shelter), generation of\u00a0 the worker (education, childrearing), and the reproduction <\/em>of ideologies found within the current\u00a0 system (115-116). Notably, some reproduced ideologies within American capitalism are racism, homophobia, sexism, and transphobia (Nguyen 116). A queer American participating in social reproduction is thus complacent with the injustices capitalism perpetuates, and can be classified\u00a0 as a gay assimilationist. For instance, marriage is a social reproduction that up until recently, only applied between a cisgender man and cisgender woman. Through Obergefell v. Hodges<\/em> , gay\u00a0 citizens were\u00a0allowed<\/em> to marry: the concept of marriage was deemed so natural by capitalist society that it was a gross injustice for gay people to be barred from doing so (Nguyen 124). A\u00a0 gay couple who marries is emulating what Christian capitalist society deems as the highest form\u00a0 to express one\u2019s love for another. <\/span><\/p>\n RuPaul establishes herself as not only a queer cultural icon, but a heterosexual cultural\u00a0 icon as well. In the Season 6 episode \u201cDrag My Wedding,\u201d queens were faced with putting\u00a0 straight grooms in full drag, who subsequently got married on the runway with RuPaul as the\u00a0 officiator (\u201cDrag My Wedding\u201d 28:13). RuPaul\u2019s status as Mother Ru is heightened due to his performance as marriage officiator, but more importantly, he confers belonging within the drag community onto straight fans. As he knits drag and heterosexual relationships together, RuPaul pushes the message that straight and gay people are not so different. Interestingly, this episode aired before Obergefell v. Hodges <\/em>\u00a0was passed in 2016 (Schottmiller 96), making the choice to\u00a0 officiate straight marriages even more striking. Instead of, for example, marrying queer couples\u00a0 and thus inviting gay people into heterosexual culture,\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>bestows assimilation\u00a0 unto itself through RuPaul\u2019s self-insertion into the heterosexual zeitgeist. This episode falls in\u00a0 line with his catchphrase, featured in his Twitter description: \u201cYou\u2019re born naked and the rest is drag\u201d (@RuPaul). RuPaul broadcasts the narrative that every human has a stake in the art of\u00a0 drag, essentially stating that every person performs gender roles. This quote oversimplifies drag: drag is not \u00a0just <\/em>performative gender expression, but a political movement aimed at liberating the queer mind. <\/span><\/p>\n In comparison to the economically radical ideals of trailblazing queens of the past,\u00a0 RuPaul shamelessly commercializes drag through leaning on marketable products for episode\u00a0 plots. This began in Season One, where the competitors\u2019 maxi-challenge for the week was presenting a mock commercial for MAC Viva Glam! (\u201cMAC\/Viva Glam! Challenge\u201d), a line of makeup which RuPaul was a spokesperson for at the time (Scottmiller 92). Here, he is using the\u00a0 pedestal awarded to television hosts to plug his product. This continues in each season, but it noticeably becomes more apparent that RuPaul is urging audiences to indulge in his products. This is a concept that Schottmiller defines as Camp\u00a0 Capitalism<\/em>, an emerging form of capitalism which parodies heterosexual marketing norms through unabashed, over-the-top advertising\u00a0 strategies (Schottmiller 150). This is most repeated by RuPaul when advertising his music. RuPaul frequently re-releases his established discography as remixes (Schottmiller 137), giving audiences an opportunity to enhance his economic prowess. During the final episode of Season\u00a0 2, he looks directly into the camera and states, “If you’ve been groovin’ to any of my songs this\u00a0 season, you can find them all on my album Champion, available on iTunes\u201d (\u201cThe Main Event\u00a0 Clip Show\u201d 41:50). She finishes the episode with: \u201cRemember, if you can’t love yourself, how in\u00a0 the hell are you gonna buy my album\u2026\u201d (\u201cThe Main Event Clip Show\u201d 42:12). The double inclusion of his commodity displays his shameless self-promotion, as well as a utilization of\u00a0 eye-contact with the viewer, affirms the importance of the now-consumer to engage in RuPaul\u2019s\u00a0 capital accumulation. Additionally, the blatant promotion stands in contrast to the expected\u00a0 respectability of heterosexual marketing strategies (Schottmiller 148), inviting audiences to\u00a0 separate RuPaul\u2019s form of capitalism from that of dominant culture. Despite the difference in <\/span>strategy, this does not take away from the fact that RuPaul accumulates large amounts of money\u00a0 through the art of drag. Capitalism is capitalism no matter the avenue of expression. <\/span><\/p>\n RuPaul\u2019s gay assimilationist politics extends outside of the 2D world of social media and\u00a0 television and into the real world through the\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s\u00a0 Drag Race <\/em>\u00a0convention, RuPaul\u2019s DragCon. RuPaul\u2019s DragCon, which first began in 2015, occurs annually and has since\u00a0 expanded to both Los Angeles and New York City (Schottmiller 185). If all 40,000 attendees of DragCon 2017 bought the cheapest ticket option, the gross profit would still be $1.6 million\u00a0 (Schottmiller 190). RuPaul expands his drag monopoly through many avenues, pointing to his\u00a0 pro-capitalistic views. DragCon includes vendors, panels, and a keynote speech by RuPaul himself. Notably, RuPaul uses his keynote speeches to frame the RuPaul’s Drag Race <\/em>fanbase as distinctly separate from queerness; he positions his television show as allowing the \u201cconvergence\u00a0 of people who love color and beauty and everything\u201d (Schottmiller 208). Using this phrasing, he\u00a0 caters to the heterosexual audience by ensuring that they do not feel ostracized for participating\u00a0 in an art form rooted in queer culture. At the same time, this rhetoric ignores the roots of drag\u00a0 and the suffering endured to allow a television show like \u00a0RPDR <\/em>to become so popular (Schotmiller 208). <\/span><\/p>\n He also utilizes his keynote speech to sew a narrative that his camp capitalism is\u00a0 fundamentally different from heterosexual capitalism. In the same keynote speech, RuPaul says: <\/span>\u201cYou got to buy a lot of stuff, and you got to buy stuff you don\u2019t need. So how are they gonna get\u00a0 you to buy things that you don\u2019t need? They have to tell you that you\u2019re not whole\u201d (Schottmiller 212). Using his status as Mother Ru, he enlightens audiences to the manipulative ways of\u00a0 capitalism, critiquing it in the process. He recognizes that the world in which capitalism thrives\u00a0 in is one that teaches people to undermine their value, a sentiment that the queens of the past would likely share with him. He is differentiating himself from the consumerism pushed by\u00a0 predominant culture. Schottmiller points out how RuPaul makes it seem that his capitalism is\u00a0 separate from its oppressive counterpart because audiences consume to nourish their souls\u00a0 through art and creativity, not to fix something (213). However, this philosophy is uncovered as\u00a0 performative when in that same speech, he calls audiences to buy official \u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>merch because \u201c\u2026we are slashing the prices! Slashing the prices on things! Yes! So go down\u00a0 there, and get the stuff\u201d (Schottmiller 213). Audiences, believing that their favorite television\u00a0 host disagrees with capitalism\u2019s exploitative philosophies, then hear RuPaul advertise his\u00a0 products. Since RuPaul apparently aligns himself with leftist political ideals, audience members\u00a0 may be more willing to fuel RuPaul\u2019s drag empire. <\/span><\/p>\n While RuPaul sometimes presents himself as politically forward, other times, he proudly\u00a0 engages with the American systems of neoliberalism that his drag elders would likely have\u00a0 fought. The neoliberal queer body, or rather homonormative body, may in some ways exhibit\u00a0 queerness, but these expressions are extraneous (Nguyen 123). At a basic level, neoliberal queers\u00a0 abide by the normative structures of society: they are well educated, capitalistic, and do not\u00a0 challenge the norms of American culture (Nguyen 123). A neoliberal queer is a gay assimilationist. A prime example of RuPaul\u2019s neoliberal politics is how he views and discusses his husband, Georges Lebar\u2019s, Wyoming ranch (Randall). Demonstrating his privilege, RuPaul tells Jimmy Kimmel, \u201cI go up there and read books and watch movies. We just chill\u201d (Randall). The 60,000 acres of land symbolizes RuPaul\u2019s homonormativity (Randall), for him and his husband\u2019s explicit homosexuality is acceptable because they do not challenge the social traditions that uphold capitalistic forces (Harris 140). RuPaul\u2019s de-politicalization of drag affords him this land at the cost of reproducing capitalistic forces of oppression, for a queer is only allowed to participate in normative society when their queerness is compromised (Harris 141). RuPaul not only compromises his identity for heteronormative systems, but actively participates\u00a0 in them for capital gain. On NPR podcast Fresh Air <\/em>hosted by Terry Gross, RuPaul admits that:\u00a0 \u201c\u2026a modern ranch, 21st century ranch, is really land management\u2026you lease the mineral rights\u00a0 to oil companies. And you sell water to oil companies\u201d (Gross 32:58). Here, RuPaul meets heterosexual ideals of life by participating in bourgeois upward class mobility (Kilhefner 125). <\/span><\/p>\n RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/span><\/em>caters to neoliberal politics by\u00a0 heavily supporting the American\u00a0 government and the integrity of democracy. During the 2024 Presidential election, the official <\/span>RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/span><\/em>\u00a0YouTube account posted a video\u00a0 urging viewers to vote (\u201cS16 Queens\u2026\u201d).\u00a0 Season 16 queen Plasma, wearing a patriotic blue and silver dress, addresses the camera as she\u00a0 says: \u201c…will you want to be someone who looks back and pats themself on the back knowing that you made a difference and your voice was heard and you participated in a democracy that struggles to maintain its own democratic principles?\u201d (\u201cS16 Queens\u2026\u201d 4:21-4:34). In this quote, Plasma highlights the fallacy of American democracy. LGBTQ+ rights and specifically the right\u00a0 to do drag are actively being challenged by American governments despite the unignorable presence of queer individuals (\u201cDrag Queens, The First Amendment\u2026\u201d\u00a0 1477). Plasma positions the viewer as the solution to the government\u2019s deception, signalling to audiences that the way to have liberated queer minds is through engagement with and belief in American democracy. This\u00a0 ignores that such a democracy was built on the foundations of capitalist heterosexism facilitated by the social reproduction theory (Nguyen 141), a system which implies the reproduction of oppressive society (Nguyen 116). <\/span><\/p>\n The trajectory of drag artistry indicates a larger shift in queer culture to gay assimilationism. The drag queen, who were the freedom fighters of the modern queer movement, is beginning to integrate into heterosexist society. By excluding radical movements from drag politics, the queer community continues to replicate the oppressive systems that create homophobia in the first place (Nguyen 127). As Harris explains, a queer American\u2019s\u00a0 participation in respectability politics and capitalistic ventures will not save them from the systemic and societal implications of American capitalism (Harris 147). American society will continue to operate under the assumption that a valuable American is one who productively interacts with the economy and mimics the heterosexual focus on marriage and raising children (Nguyen 124, 126). Drag queens used to challenge this framework by focusing on their art even\u00a0 if it meant poverty and discrimination, challenging notions of capitalistic labor ideals, gender expression, and sexuality. However, the new politics of drag do the opposite, and instead aim for respectability within current society. Recognizing the political overhaul of the drag movement may allow viewers of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>to better understand what the show is genuinely\u00a0 advocating for. Instead of continuing in ignorance of queer history, audiences who recognize the dissonance between these two modes of drag may research and become inspired by the ideals of previous queens. <\/span><\/p>\n RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/span><\/em>has radically changed the way in which the art of drag is digested in <\/span>American society through deploying gay assimilationist politics. Queens of the past like Marsha\u00a0 P. Johnson and William Dorsey Swann framed drag as a subversive, inherently political artistic movement. As RuPaul deployed capitalistic marketing strategies and became a queer role model,\u00a0 drag became a sanitized method for queer Americans to assimilate into predominant culture. <\/span>Researchers who are interested in this topic may discuss in detail the implications of Maddy <\/span>Morphosis\u2019 inclusion in \u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>and what\u00a0 it means to be a non-queer drag queen. <\/span>Another possible research avenue is discussing the political past and messaging of RuPaul\u2019s\u00a0 Drag Race <\/em>in countries where the RuPaul\u2019s franchise has expanded to. Finally, researchers may\u00a0 poll the gender and sexuality of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race <\/em>audiences to understand how many cisgender and straight Americans are fans of the show. RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, while it has offered visibility to the queer community, has in turn made it palatable and sanitized to larger American\u00a0 culture. \u00a0Works Cited<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n Allaire, Christian. \u201cSugar & Spice Are TikTok\u2019s Favorite Drag Duo.\u201d Vogue<\/em>, 2021. <\/span>\u00a0https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/sugar-and-spice-tiktok-drag-queens<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Baumann, Jason. \u201cAppendix.\u201d The Stonewall Reader,<\/em> edited by The New York Public Library, <\/span>Penguin Books, 2019, pp. 345-357. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/ahr\/rhab279<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Baumann, Jason. \u201cIntroduction.\u201d The Stonewall Reader<\/em>, edited by The New York Public Library, <\/span>Penguin Books, 2019. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/ahr\/rhab279<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBig Opening No. 2.\u201d RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race,<\/em> created by RuPaul Andre Charles, season 2, episode <\/span>14, VH1, 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n Daniels, B.J., and Michail Takach. A History of Milwaukee Drag: Seven Generations of <\/em><\/span>Glamour<\/span><\/em>. The History Press, 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDrag My Wedding.\u201d \u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, created by RuPaul Andre Charles, season 6, episode <\/span>10, Logo TV, 2014. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDrag Queens, The First Amendment, and Expressive Harms.\u201d\u00a0Harvard Law Review,<\/em> vol. 137, no. 5, 2024, pp. 1469-90. <\/span>https:\/\/harvardlawreview.org\/print\/vol-137\/drag-queens-the-first-amendment-and-expressive-harms\/<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Gross, Terry, host. \u201cRuPaul’s Recipe For Success? Love Yourself And Stay Flexible.\u201d Fresh Air<\/em>, <\/span>NPR, 10 Mar 2020, https:\/\/www.npr.org\/transcripts\/813970591<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Harris, Latashia. \u201cBody Control: The Neocolonial Displacement of the Multiple Minority Queer <\/span>Body in Urban Space.\u201d\u00a0Humanity & Society<\/em>, vol. 40,\u00a0 no. 2, 2016, pp. 133-154.\u00a0 https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0160597616643877<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Jeffery, Rebekah A. De-\/Re-Queering Drag: Exploring the Roots and Imagining the Future of Gender Performance<\/i>. 2025. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Jos\u00e9 Sarria Performing at the Black Cat<\/span><\/em> . 1955, The\u00a0 Jos\u00e9 Sarria Papers, GLBT Historical Society, <\/span>San Francisco. https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/casfglbt_000129<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Kilhefner, Don. \u201cGay People at a Critical Crossroad: Assimilation or Affirmation?\u201d \u00a0Gay Spirit, <\/em><\/span>Gay Soul<\/span><\/em>, edited by Mark Thompson, 2000, pp. 121-30. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cM.A.C\/Viva Glam Challenge.\u201d\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, created by RuPaul Andre Charles, season <\/span>1, episode 14, Logo TV, 2009. <\/span><\/p>\n Nguyen, Duc Hien. \u201cThe Political Economy of Heteronormativity.\u201d Review of Radical Political <\/em><\/span>Economics<\/span><\/em> , vol. 55, no. 1, 2023, pp. 112-31.\u00a0 https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/04866134211011269<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne Night Only, Pt. 1.\u201d RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, created by RuPaul Andre Charles, season 15, episode 1, MTV, 2023. <\/span><\/p>\n Pugh, Megan. America Dancing: From the Cakewalk to\u00a0 the Moonwalk<\/em>. Yale University Press, 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Main Event Clip Show.\u201d RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, created by RuPaul Andre Charles, season 2, episode 10, Logo TV, 2010. <\/span><\/p>\n Randall, Cassidy. \u201cRumors of RuPaul’s Fracking Ranch May be Surprising to Some \u2013 But Not\u00a0 his Wyoming Neighbors.\u201d The Guardian<\/em> , 28 Aug. 2020,\u00a0 https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2020\/aug\/28\/fracking-wyoming-ranchers-rupa<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n @RuPaul [RuPaul Andre Charles]. \u201cBorn naked & the rest is drag.\u201d Twitter<\/em>.\u00a0 https:\/\/x.com\/RuPaul<\/a>. Accessed 5 Nov., 2025. <\/span><\/p>\n RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/span><\/em>, created by RuPaul Andre Charles, MTV, 2009-2025. <\/span><\/p>\n Schottmiller, Carl Douglas. Reading RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race: Queer Memory, Camp Capitalism, and RuPaul\u2019s Drag Empire<\/i>. 2017. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.<\/p>\n Segal, Mark. \u201cFrom \u00a0And Then I Danced<\/em> .\u201d \u00a0The Stonewall\u00a0 Reader<\/em> , edited by The New York Public <\/span>Library, Penguin Books, 2019, pp. 150-59. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/ahr\/rhab279<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe S16 Queens Want You To Vote!\u201d \u00a0YouTube<\/em> , uploaded\u00a0 by RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race, 30 Sep 2024,\u00a0 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Fz8GlTl2RdI.<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n “Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries Manifesto.\u201d \u00a0Digital Transgender Archive<\/em>. 1970. https:\/\/www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net\/files\/fj236244p<\/a>. Accessed 1 Oct., 2025. <\/span><\/p>\n Sugar and Spice [@sugarandspice]. \u201cWe’re partnering with @tmobile to show that Pride Powers\u00a0 our Future #ad.\u201d\u00a0TikTok<\/em> , 2021. https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sugarandspice\/video\/6974905954471087366?lang=en<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Thompson, Mark. \u201cChildren of Paradise: A Brief History of Queens.\u201d Gay Spirit, Gay Soul<\/em>, edited by Mark Thompson, 2000, pp. 49-68. <\/span><\/p>\n Thompson, Mark. \u201cHarry Hay: A Voice from the Past, a Vision for the Future.\u201d \u00a0Gay Spirit, Gay <\/em><\/span>Soul<\/span><\/em>, edited by Mark Thompson, 2000, pp. 182-199. <\/span><\/p>\n Young, Allen. Interview with Marsha P. Johnson. \u201cRapping with a Street Transvestite <\/span>Revolutionary.\u201d \u00a0The Stonewall Reader<\/em> , edited by The\u00a0 New York Public Library, Penguin <\/span>Books, 2019, pp. 150-59. Samantha M. Myers<\/h6>\n
\nFrom the Writer<\/b><\/h4>\n
\nYou\u2019re Born Naked, and the Rest is Capitalism: The RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> Franchise\u2019s Effect on the Politics of Drag Artistry through the Dissemination of Gay Assimilationism<\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n