What is meant by "Not all drag queens are transvestites."? I thought that a drag queen was a transvestite.

Answer 1

I think the comment should have said transexuals not transvestites.

Answer 2

Three possible differences:
1) Gay vs. hetero
2) Performance vs. non-performing
3) Fun vs. sexual

Drag queens are traditionally considered gay performers having fun/making money/etc.

Transvestite was coined as a psychological term by Magnus Hirschfeld where a heterosexual man wears opposite gender clothing. In the original definition it's a sexual kink.

So, you have the three possible differences at the top.

How people identify isn't necessarily as how that lines up, though.

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People who defy gender boundaries often defy the descriptions others give them. So, some will identify as drag queens/transvestites/transgender/etc. even if definitions would place them differently.

Also, the descriptions I gave are traditional or psychological definitions, rather than colloquial usage.

Next, more and more transvestites since the seventies have protested the sexual nature of transvestism, and that's one of the reasons the term crossdresser came into popularity (to distance the activity from the sexual stigma of transvestism).

Lastly, the more common misconception is between transvestite/transgender/transsexual. Transvestite was defined above. Transgender is an encompassing term that can apply throughout the gender spectrum, from transvestites to transsexuals. Obviously, it wouldn't necessarily be true that a transgendered person has had surgery (you see this a lot on YA). A transsexual is a person born with a body and mind incongruous to one another, in regard to gender. They then sometimes correct their body to how their mind perceives it.

This can be really confusing, and it took me awhile to get, too. In fact, I'm sure my definitions are so short that I'm offending some people who are reading this! A more complete list of terms can be found on wikipedia. If you're interested, check it out.

Answer 3

A drag queen is usually a gay man who dresses as a female for camp, entertainment or fun. They are not trying to look like women in fact they are paroding women.

A transvestite is someone most people think of males but there are plenty of female transvestites who dresses in the clothes of the opposite gender for a variety of psychological reasons.

Do a drag queen may be crossdressed but he is not necessarily a transvestite.

Answer 4

A drag queen dresses as a woman for the stage or part of a show.
A transvestite gets a kick out of wearing women's clothing and probably does it all the time.

Answer 5

By most definitions they are the same thing. Some transvestites might adopt cross-dressing as a way of life, while others, often those called drag queens, only dress when performing, or when clubbing.

I hope you haven't confused the term "transvestite" with "transsexual." Transsexual persons actually identify as being the opposite gender of their birth, and many go about surgeries and/or hormone therapies to actually change their bodies to be more like the gender with which they identify.

Answer 6

hunh... a drag is male.. (in your context) (but can be female doing male as well) all male doing female impersonations and not necessarily a transvestitie. Transvestites and transsexuals are those who either are females in mens bodies or either sex dressing up as the other and wanting a sexchange. A transvest is one who totaly gets off on womens clothes and wants/feels like he should be one all day long.

Take a look at Vegas for example. A lot of the Tall Gals are actually Guys but most people don't know that as that is what is known as propper high drag put into a professional art form.

Drag is an art form that is good and wonderful to see. There are diff types of drag... one is High drag. using full body shave, expensive costumes and the whole works. and then there is Tuff drag, where guys dress up but don't shave their beards or facial hair and it sometimes comes off as "Halloween Drag".

Answer 7

A drag queen is a man who dresses as a woman for entertainment. They usually portray an over the top, heightened form femininity and often parody famous women.

A transvestite is someone who dresses as the opposite sex in everyday life and usually choose clothes, hair, make-up, etc., that don't stand out to the rest of society.

Answer 8

No, you guys need to read more.

Transvestites are called transvestites because they get a sexual thrill from dressing in womens clothing. Drag queens do it because its a job.

Answer 9

I've seen a half ton of bullsh*t answers to this question.

A gay man who dresses as a woman and calls himself a "drag queen" most often is just doing it for fun or for some other similar reason.

Transvestitism is a sexual fetish. It is a medically defined state (but not a disease) and involves a little more than just putting on a dress.

"Transvestitism, or transvestic fetishism, refers to the practice by heterosexual males of dressing in female clothes to produce or enhance sexual arousal. The sexual arousal usually does not involve a real partner, but includes the fantasy that the individual is the female partner, as well. Some men wear only one special piece of female clothing, such as underwear, while others fully dress as female, including hair style and make-up. Cross-dressing itself is not a problem, unless it is necessary for the individual to become sexually aroused or experience sexual climax."

Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

The word transvestite is abused and most often used incorrectly.

Answer 10

Agree with Dan. The person who said this is mistaken. All drag queens ARE transvestites. All transvestites are not drag queens , however--a tranvestite can be a female in men's clothing, which i don't think is ever referred to as a drag "queen".

Answer 11

Drag queens are men who dress up as women for the sake of entertainment and financial gain. They should not be confused with transvestites (men who wear women's clothes for emotional gain) or transsexuals (where a male feels he is really female and vice versa). Drag queens are different to dames in pantomime1 as they are meant to look more or less like the real thing, though both are parodies of the female form for entertainment.

Drag queens are usually found in gay bars or at hen nights2. The acts often lip-sync to other people's songs to comic effect, perform quick changes into increasingly theatrical costumes or sing different lyrics to other people's songs, but these are usually gutter-level topics. Many drag acts impersonate other people, with their own brand of humour added. There are drag cabaret bars dotted around the UK; there is one in Blackpool called 'Funny Girls'.

Myths that Need to be Expelled

Not all drag queens are gay.

Drag queens do drag for entertainment, not for other reasons.

Mainstream Drag

Some drag artistes have entered mainstream entertainment, such as:

Lily Savage - a character created by Paul O'Grady, Lily hails from Birkenhead in Merseyside, UK, and is known as 'The Blonde Bomb-site'.

Danny La Rue - insists he is a 'female impersonator' but for the most part, he fits the definition of drag.

Dame Edna Everage - larger-than-life Australian megastar, Dame Edna is the alter-ego of comedian Barry Humphreys.

Drag Shows

If you have not seen a drag show, don't worry, it is usually harmless fun and not to be taken seriously. The easiest place to see drag is panto, though as has already been noted, the fundamental difference is that drag queens look more feminine than their dame counterparts.

If You Want to Do Drag, Follow these Steps Carefully

Pick a name with a sexual slant to it.

If you want to do quick change, invest in Velcro instead of zips because if you try to do a quick change in 45 seconds you can almost guarantee that:

The zip'll break.
You won't get that silver garment off again.
You'll fall out of the dressing room and ruin your make-up, which took you an hour to do, and you'll look a real mess.

Don't do any of the camp classics such as Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' or 'I Am What I Am' as they have been done to death.

Costumes! To be a successful drag queen, you need costumes - and a lot of them! If you can sew, the cheapest thing is to make your own. There are, however, various costume shops that will be happy to make your costumes for you as long as you choose the material. Have plenty of feather boa, because a drag queen can't have enough boa! There are specialist shoe shops out there that deal in ladies' shoes for men. A rule of thumb though: if you go to a normal shoe shop, buy the next size up, as women's feet tend to be thinner than a bloke's, of you don't follow this, you'll have feet that hurt, and you'll walk in a silly manner and fall over - it isn't funny, and can be very painful!

Rehearse your comedy, and don't forget a punch line - it's not cool, it's not funny and most of all, you won't be invited back.

Have fun - if you are enjoying it, so will your audience.

Copyright and Licence

If you perform in a pub or working men's club, you are covered by the Landlord's Music and Dance Licence (so long as you don't try to pass someone else's works as your own). If you appear on stage in a theatre, normal copyright rules apply, the same as if you appear on television.

You do not need a licence of any sort to become a drag queen, the same as you don't need one to be a singer or a dancer. But if you want to join Equity (the British actor and performer union) you can do as you'll have more rights than trying to go alone.