Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret

by Rupp, Leila J.; Taylor, Verta A.

• ISBN13: 9780226731582
• ISBN10: 0226731588
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-05-15
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

It's Saturday night in Key West and the Girlie Show is about to begin at the 801 Cabaret. The girls have been outside on the sidewalk all evening, seducing passersby into coming in for the show. The club itself is packed tonight and smoke has filled the room. When the lights finally go down, statuesque blonds and stunning brunettes sporting black leather miniskirts, stiletto heels, and see-through lingerie take the stage. En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" blares on the house stereo. The crowd roars in approval. In this lively book, Leila J. Rupp and Verta Taylor take us on an entertaining tour through one of America's most overlooked subcultures: the world of the drag queen. They offer a penetrating glimpse into the lives of the 801 Girls, the troupe of queens who perform nightly at the 801 Cabaret for tourists and locals. Weaving together their fascinating life stories, their lavish costumes and eclectic music, their flamboyance and bitchiness, and their bawdy exchanges with one another and their audiences, the authors explore how drag queens smash the boundaries between gay and straight, man and woman, to make people think more deeply and realistically about sex and gender in America today. They also consider how the queens create a space that encourages camaraderie and acceptance among everyday people, no matter what their sexual preferences might be. Based on countless interviews with more than a dozen drag queens, more than three years of attendance at their outrageous performances, and even the authors' participation in the shows themselves, Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret is a witty and poignant portrait of gay life and culture. When they said life is a cabaret, they clearly meant the 801.

Author Biography

Leila J. Rupp is a professor of women's studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of several books, including Worlds of Women: The Making of an International Women's Movement and A Desired Past: A Short History of Same-Sex Love in America.

Verta Taylor is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of two books, including Rock-a-by Baby: Feminism, Self-Help, and Postpartum Depression, and the coeditor of Feminist Frontiers VI.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Preface	xi
Cast of Characters	xiv
Introduction: ``What Makes a Man a Man?''	1	(8)
SECTION I: ``I' M BEAUTIFUL, DAMMITI''
Getting Dressed	9	(15)
Becoming Drag Queens	24	(7)
Being a Drag Queen	31	(16)
SECTION II: ``TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME''
The Conch Republic	47	(10)
On the Street	57	(8)
A Plate of Food and a Drag Show	65	(13)
``The Hero Would Be You''	78	(15)
SECTION III: ``LIFE IS A CABARET''
``She Works Hard for the Money''	93	(19)
Performing Protest	112	(39)
SECTION IV: ``WE ARE FAMILY''
``Crazy World''	151	(8)
The 801 Family	159	(20)
SECTION V: ``FREE YOUR MIND''
In a Long Tradition	179	(10)
``We're Not Just Lip-Synching Up Here, We're Changing Lives''	189	(20)
A Night at the 801	209	(3)
Theoretical Conclusions: Thinking about Drag as Social Protest	212	(11)
Appendix: Methods	223	(6)
Notes	229	(10)
Bibliography	239	(12)
Index	251