Notable Members of the Drag Industry
The drag industry has become big business over the past few years. As part of the entertainment industry overall, it consists of individuals who use dress and make-up of a sex different than their own along with a flamboyant exaggeration of their imitated personality. Drag shows usually include lip-syncing and dancing to popular music as well as stand-up comedy. Drag is considered an amplified expression of one's self on stage, open to all genders, races and ages.
There is a rich history to the drag industry. From ancient Greek and Roman cultures to Japan's Kabuki tradition, through to Shakespearean times, it was a common theatre practice for men to impersonate women on stage. This carried over into Opera in Europe. The rise of vaudeville and burlesque in the early 1900s introduced more women to the industry.
Many members of the LGBTQ community participate in the drag industry. In addition to drag queens and kings on stage and television, there are producers, club owners, writers, artists, and choreographers. In Mexico, there are professional wrestlers who perform in drag known as Lucha Libre ("free wrestling").
Perhaps the most famous and widely known drag star today is American RuPaul. He is the creator and host of the reality television show RuPaul's Drag Race and its spinoff shows. To date he has received eleven Emmy Awards. The show has created a multi-million dollar industry.
Popular drag stars are active in the LGBTQ community. Today, drag is important for its impact on human rights movements. Drag stars are prominent AIDS activists and rights advocates. Many have written books about their personal history, are active in social media, appear in DragCons, participate in travelling circuit shows and world tours, and have moved on to modelling. Advertising, theatre, the fashion industry, and film are eagerly signing up today's popular drag stars.
We have identified the following notable drag stars from the LGBTQ community. Simply click on their name to read their fascinating biographies.
Australia
- Trevor Ashley, drag performer
Austria
- Conchita Wurst, singer
Brazil
- Amaury Lorenzo, drag performer
- Pabllo Vittar, drag performer
Cameroon
- BeBe Zahara Benet, drag performer and television host
Canada
- Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, television host
- Brooke Lynn Hytes, drag performer and television host
- Stacey McKenzie, television host
- Kent Monkman, artist
- Diane Torr, academic and performance artist
- Ilona Verley, drag performer
Germany
- Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf, drag performer
Great Britain
- Eddie Izzard, musician
- Asifa Lahore, drag performer
- Paul O'Grady, drag performer
India
- Sakshi Juneja, drag show producer
Ireland
- Danny La Rue, drag performer
- Panti, drag performer
Mexico
- Saul Armendariz, wrestler
Puerto Rico
- Mayra Santos-Febres, author
Romania
- Lucian Dunareanu, musician and singer
Spain
- Jose Perez Ocana, drag performer and activist
Sweden
- Lars-Ake Wilhelmsson, drag performer
Thailand
- Piyarat Kaljareuk, television show producer
United States
- Steve Antin, film director
- Joey Arias, drag performer
- Fenton Bailey, television producer
- Randy Barbato, television producer
- Mykki Blanco, drag rapper
- Carmen Carrera, television host
- Candis Cayne, drag performer
- Kim Chi, drag performer
- Storme DeLarverie, drag performer and activist
- Divine, drag performer
- Jim Flint, drag club owner
- Big Freedia, drag singer
- Julie Goldman, television personality
- Todrick Hall, singer and choreographer
- Murray Hill, drag king
- Carson Kressley, television personality
- Kelly Mantle, drag performer
- Trixie Mattel, drag performer
- Mario Montez, drag performer
- Sharon Needles, drag performer
- Tracey Norman, model and drag performer
- Santino Rice, judge
- Freddie Ross, drag singer
- Mike Ruiz, celebrity photographer
- RuPaul, drag performer and television host
- Tyra Sanchez, drag performer
- Jose Sarria, drag performer
- Jeffrey Schwarz, filmmaker
- Sasha Velour, drag performer
