drag queen

noun

plural drag queens

: a person and especially a man who performs as an entertainer in usually female drag (see drag entry 1 sense 7b(1))

Drag queens, who are traditionally male, dress in "drag" as female characters.

—Laura Wavra

For the past decade, (basically since RuPaul started Drag Race) traditional drag queens (ie, cis men performing as female characters) have been blowing up in the popular zeitgeist …

—Brittany Knupper

Drag is not simply female impersonation, but involves drag queens exaggerating femininity and drag kings exaggerating masculinity.

—Shannon Kelly

[Victoria] Sin is a female-bodied non-binary drag queen, examining how Western ideals of femininity are produced and consumed.

—Amrou Al-Kadhi

They are a black, non-binary drag queen with a beard in a part of the country that has a reputation for being anti-LGBTQ+.

—Bailey Shelton

Examples of drag queen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Several states have passed bills restricting or banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, and there's also been a wave of legislation against trans athletes and drag queen performers. —Jonathan Franklin, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024

Several drag queen story hours across the country have been faced with bomb threats, backlash and cancellations. —Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 25 Mar. 2024

Completing the disco theme, drag queens Shangela and Chad Michaels channeled Donna Summer and Cher, a statement from the Rose Ball said. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024

To this day, one of her favorite parts of the ad campaign has been seeing all the ways people have spoofed it, especially drag queens. —Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024

Drag Race Philippines is my favorite, along with Manila Luzon's show, Drag Den, which features Filipino drag queens. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024

Last year, Tennessee became the first state in the nation to enact a law aimed at limiting drag queens from performing in the state before the law was later struck down in court. —Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024

Weaver grew up a gay punk-rock kid in Alabama during the ’80s AIDS epidemic, then worked at a conservative boutique until he got fired for booking a black drag queen for a fashion show. —By Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

The Lancaster Public Library planned on doing a Drag Queen Story Hour, where drag queens read books to young readers, on Saturday. —Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above