Expanding My Horizons

         For a class assignment we had to find a diversity event that would help us explore other cultures and the people that are a part of that. I had a hard time trying to find a diversity event that I could go to and have time to reflect on because of my busy schedule at Western. I was looking into events that I would be able to attend and came across some posters advertising The Drag Show. I didn’t really think much of it until I realized that it would help me experience a new culture that I had not been around. Once I chose this event, I started to get excited about going. Now that I've gone and had time to reflect on it, I'm really glad that I decided to go to this event and experience a new culture. I had watched Drag before on TV but I had never talked to a King or Queen or even been to a Show in person, so the whole event was new to me. I didn't realize until halfway through the show just how unprepared I was for what was going to happen. (explain the event and about Kings and Queens - then keep editing the rest of it)
      The thing that stood out to me was the language that was used by the Drag Queens and Kings. I expected some cursing, after all it is a college campus and the posters said there would be explicit content, but I was not prepared for what happened. The two words/phrases that caught me off guard were the performers referring to themselves as bitches and hoes. I believe that these are perfectly fine things for you to use when referring to yourself (because its your body and you can do what you want with it as long as it doesn’t affect someone else), but I do not believe that it is appropriate to refer to others as bitches or hoes. I also don’t believe that those are appropriate words for men to use about women, so it was hard for me to listen to the Drag Queens and Kings refer to others in that way. All the Drag Queens referred to themselves as she/her, so they were women referring to themselves as those words. But knowing they are men under their female persona conflicts with my belief that those are words that only women should use. I feel this way because I've only ever heard men use those words in derogatory ways, especially when catcalling a woman. That is not to say that women can't use it in a derogatory way, but I've heard it more often from men. It was nice, however, to hear these kinds of things and have it explained to me that it is part of the culture. To hear the Kings and Queens explain it as a sign of acceptance into the culture. 
      Looking back on my experience I realize that this event was the best one I could've chosen that would relate to my future career as a teacher. As a straight white woman who has never contemplated doing something like drag, I was interested in pushing my boundaries. I have seen drag before and some of my best friends are gay, so interacting with people who are different from me isn’t new to me. But being in a room surrounded by this many people from the LGBT+ community and this many people in their different personas was a new eye-opening experience. Through this event I am more aware of the correct terms to refer to people of drag. Before this I had never heard of a hyper-drag, but now I know that that is where a woman dresses in drag as a woman. Being more aware of the people who are in different communities than I am and being aware of the terms that are appropriate to use will help me be an educator that can relate and communicate with my students more effectively. Experiencing new things outside my own experiences in the future will continue to make me a better, more accepting, educator. Through observing other teachers I have learned that it is important to do things, such as go to a Drag Show, in order to push my boundaries so that I can have a diverse class and cater to every student that I may have. For example, a student in today's society may choose to be referred to as a he/him even if they look like a female student. It reminded me I need to be open to new things and learning about other people.

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Shea Coolie Image Source : ​https://twitter.com/sheacoulee
"RuPaul's Drag Race" Cast Explains The History of Drag Culture | Allure. (2018, February 08). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/MHlE3RIkRi0