Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Pimp and Ho Drag Shows: No, it's not a "gay" thing


[image is from here]

When I hear "drag show" I tend to think of a gay male supremacist community event, often a fundraiser. The funds are never being raised to help women in systems of prostitution, mind you, because the reality of women in prostitution is far from the consciousness of the participants. The last gay white male supremacist drag show I went to was held at a college. It was blatantly misogynistic, racist, classist, and pro-child sexual abuse and prostitution. And a college's money funded it. Compare this post with the last one and you might understand why racism, heterosexism, and misogyny are not just interpersonal issues. They are institutional ones.

Above is a photo of two couples, two men with two women between them. They are all dolled up as their understanding of what pimps and hos look like. And a fun time was had by all, except, of course, by women trapped by PIMPs and abused by WIMPs (see glossary to the right). Then it's not just fun and games.

Society as well as school systems endorse and promote racist misogyny and male supremacy. This event is one that happens all over the country with alarming regularity, all in the name of having an innocent good time. When "a good time" means mocking and parodying sexual trafficking and the abuse and control of women and girls, usually by men, what does it tell us that people are willing and able to unproblematically dress up and go out and pretend this really is harmless entertainment?

I'll tell you what I think it means. I think it means that privileged people don't know a damn thing about what people are enduring globally. And I think it also means they don't want to know and that when presented with the facts, they will find liberal-ass ways to make excuses for them going out and having this kind of "fun".

Please protest the next "pimp and ho" "fun' event in your town or city. Making atrocity seem like a good time is one form of evil.

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