TV Features

Why "Dragula" Is Better Than "RuPaul's Drag Race"

Five reasons why you should be watching the horror-based drag reality show.

Dragula - Denas Lee

via YouTube.com

If RuPaul's Drag Race set the blueprint for what a drag-based reality TV show should be, The Boulet Brothers' Dragula came and scribbled all over it.

The horror-themed drag reality competition is one of the fiercest, scariest, and most entertaining shows on TV. Dragula isn't better than Drag Race on every front, but there are many ways in which it surpasses the original drag competition, especially when it comes to artistry and politics.

If you're not familiar with Dragula, now is your chance to get acquainted. We've been thirsting for more of the Boulet Brothers' brilliant brainchild for almost a year now, and it's finally back! AMC Network's horror streaming service, Shudder, is airing The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Resurrection on October 20th, and in the meanwhile, you can binge seasons 2 and 3 on Netflix.

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FILM & TV

WEEKLY RUCAP | All Stars is back, henny!

Halleloo, ladies! Rupaul is back, and ready add a third queen to the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

RuPaul’s Drag Race | All Stars 4 Official Trailer

WARNING: THIS RUCAP CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!

Hey kitty girls!

Rupaul is back with her new, legendary All Stars in a bombastic season premier that brought more than a few twists and turns. And despite my many fears, it seems that this season aims to not only match the legendary All Stars 2, but chisel it's own place as one of the best seasons of Drag Race we've ever seen. The queens have come to play and honestly, it's relief. This season has definitely been one of the most talked about seasons of the show's herstory - and I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to the hype.

But this premier did that.

We start the episode with the usual work-room walk-in starting with Trixie Mattel rollerblading through the work room door.

She delivers her, now iconic, "Oh hoooney," before almost falling on her face - but she recovers and even gives us an appropriately corny "And that's how I roll." She's perfectly pink, and sporting some 80s neon bodysuit realness. It was so perfectly Trixie and I lived for it. And she wouldn't be Trixie without throwing a little shade, "There's nobody in here. It's like a Morgan McMichaels meet and greet."

Then we had Season 6 club kid favorite, Milk! Serving some "denim pennochio."

It wasn't my favorite look out of the rest of the queens, but it definitely showed of Milk's ability to own any look she puts on. Plus, her opening line, "I just farted," gave me a good chuckle. And honestly, I picked up some definite diva vibes. It makes sense, Milk has seen a lot of success in her post-Drag Race career - but this is Drag Race, and it wouldn't be Drag Race without a little shade.

Then we have bayou queen, Chi Chi DeVayne!

She wears a beautifully made twist on her original entrance look - it's still trash bags, but they're yellow and they don't actually look like trash bags. She looks stunning, even if she can't keep that hat on her head. Not to mention, she brings a certain level of Southern charm that makes you just like her.

Then we have the permanently peppy Brooklyn queen, Thorgy Thor!

She is serving circus clown realness in probably one of the worst entrance looks I've ever seen. But, she makes up for it with her energy, even though she almost broke her foot on the way in.

Then of course, we have the dead bitch, Morgan McMichaels.

And she is slaying in this look! I've seen Morgan on WOWpresents, and I've seen clips of her stellar drag performances, and I am not surprised that the other queens are intimidated by her. She didn't come to play games, and she wants to make sure that every single contestant knows that.

Next is Aja, scooter-ing through in a delightfully skimpy outfit.

And I have to say it, I love her hair, and her make up shows a lot of improvement over the trainwreck that was season nine. She says she has some unfinished business, and I have to say, I was surprised to see her on the cast list. After all, she just finished Season 9 - but hey, I ain't complaining, 'cause this bitch clearly came to play.

Then there's BenDeLaCreme, wearing an atrocious repurposed dress.

Listen, I love BenDeLa, but come on - that dress looks terrible. And why did she have to do the same exact thing she did for her Season 6 entrance. I think Morgan said it well, she feels a little recycled. But, I can't really hate her, because she's too damned sweet!

Next we have one of my favorite entrances, Kennedy Davenport!

She's back, and she's here to show you that she didn't die, SHE CRYSTALLIZED! Sure, it was in a horrible dress, but I don't even care. She's perfect, she beautiful, and even if she looks like she just threw on a bunch of random stuff on a gross yellow dress.

Then we have Miss Shangela Halleloo herself, back in the world for the third time!

She enters in her iconic box, and then reveals into a very Alyssa Edwards-ian dress. I guess the drag daughter doesn't fall far from the tree. I mean, come on, you cannot tell me that you looked at that bow and didn't hear Alyssa's faint tongue-pop in the distance.

And just as the queens speculate about who the tenth queen is going to be, the sirens go off, signifying Rupaul is about to make his entrance. Everyone is confused, and then Ru enters, looking kind of funky in an all red suit, only to reveal that something seems to be wrong - there's someone missing. And after an agonizingly long wait - the mysterious tenth queen is revealed to be...

NONE OTHER THAN SEASON ONE WINNER, BEBE ZAHARA BENET!

Speculations about the mysterious tenth queen have been going on around the internet for ages. But in the end, it seems all signs pointed to Miss Benet's return. And man, what a return it was. I don't know what it is about her, but she exudes this ethereal energy that makes you feel both at ease and incredibly excited. Even though I already kind of knew it was her - I still felt my breath catch when she entered. I mean, look at her.

And the other queens were absolutely gagging - after all, she did win, how are they supposed to compete with someone who already won? We'll just have to see.

Anyway, after the dust settled, we were treated to a rather lackluster reading challenge. I don't know if everyone was just off or what, but they just didn't read very well. Especially poor Thorgy, who just couldn't seem to get a read out without spending twenty or thirty minutes taking me on some weird journey. BenDeLa ended up winning after delivering a surprisingly nasty set. But honestly, I think Kennedy's, "I hate you," towards someone (I think it was Aja) definitely deserved some sort of recognition.

After the reading challenge, Ru revealed that their first Maxi-Challenge would be another Talent Show ala All Stars 2 - and I'm not even mad. I don't know why I love the talent show idea so much - I think it's because we get to see what these queens think they can bring to the table. Ru also informed them that they would be doing the same form of elimination as last season: The winning queen gets to send one of the bottom two home.

Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived. Half of the queens decided they were all going to be doing the same thing, which was a major let down after the surprisingly diverse set the previous season's queens brought. I expected the show to wind up being just boring.

Boy was I wrong. There was a lot of dancing, sure. We had Shangela provide a perfect Alyssa Edwardian dance routine, but with her own twist. Bebe did an amazing Lion King-esque dance/lip-synch that literally transported me out of my body. Kennedy slayed it, as always, but is it really all that impressive if you expect it? Yes. It is. That was a dumb question. And Aja, Jesus Christ, AJA - she did a FLAWLESS performance that ended with a death drop from the top of a huge box to the ground!

BenDeLa slayed with a parody burlesque performance that involved her ripping off bra, after bra, after bra, revealing increasingly ridiculous pasties. It was hilarious, and honestly, I expected nothing less from her. She and Aja were definitely the highlights of the evening.

Thorgy and Trixie both stood out from the crowd, with Trixie doing a beautiful song with an instrument that I cannot identify. And Thorgy blending drag and violin in a fun little performance. They were different, but unfortunately, they both fell a little flat in terms of energy - especially after Aja.

Then we have the lower end of the spectrum. Morgan tried to perform one of her own mixes, but fell flat - it wasn't that it was bad - it was just boring. Chi Chi decided she wanted to look completely busted, and decided to go out with no heels, no pads, and a wig she got from Party City. And then there was Milk, who delivered a weird and dull performance to one his own mixes that basically included him strapping cardboard dresses to himself.

I wasn't surprised to see Aja and Ben take the top, and Morgan and Chi Chi end up on the bottom. The deliberations were definitely different from the last season, with most of the cast (excluding BenDeLa) agreeing that a "group consensus" wasn't going to work.

They each come out and deliver a fun lip synch to Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda," with Aja doing a more poppy-sexy kind of move, and BenDeLa doing a perfectly shtick-y, fun routine. BenDeLa ends up taking the win and (falsely) stating that the group has come to a consensus and that means that she's going to send... Morgan home!

But, much like last season, I doubt this is the last we'll see of Morgan. After all, Rupaul has her back.

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CULTURE

Remembering Marsha P. Johnson, a Leader in Gay Liberation

As Pride month ends, we look at the life of one of the most important figures in the push towards gay rights.

Warsaw, Poland. Woman holding a powerful protest sign featuring Marsha PAY-IT-NO-MIND Johnson - One of the most prominent figures in LGBTQ history.

Photo by Poppy Pix (Shutterstock)

Content warning: This article contains a brief mention of sexual assault.

As Pride Month comes to a close, we remember Marsha P. Johnson, one of the principal figures in the gay liberation movement.

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CULTURE

Trisha Paytas Needs Help: The Difference Between Gender Nonconforming and Transgender

The vast majority of Paytas's expressions of her "transgender identity" actually just suggest that she's not comfortable with traditional feminine gender roles.

Shutterstock

I hadn't heard of Trisha Paytas until she started trending on Twitter for her incredibly misguided "I AM TRANSGENDER (FEMALE TO MALE)" YouTube video.

I got very lucky, but alas, that luck ends here. After falling down the Trisha Paytas rabbit hole (and believe me, this is a rabbit hole), I've learned that Paytas is a YouTube star with close to 4.9 million subscribers. Her content consists of vlogs, mukbang, and unlistenable original music, but she's best known for her constant stream of controversies. These range from "trolling" videos to blatant racism to a video titled "Showering with my Boyfriend" that is exactly what you'd expect.

There's also this video in which she makes out with inanimate objects while wearing a knee brace, and since I have to live with these images in my head, I'm subjecting you to the same torture:

making out with my couchwww.youtube.com


When someone with a history of blatant self-promotion, bandwagon hopping, and self-proclaimed "trolling" comes out with an all caps "I AM TRANSGENDER" video, the natural inclination is to doubt her sincerity. This instinct doubles when the video description reads: "I'll be in SAN FRANCISCO SAT OCT 19 and LOS ANGELES OCT 20 TICKETS HERE," followed by a link to her upcoming concert tour. Genuinely coming out into a community frequently targeted with hatred and violence would probably warrant more subtlety than a typical clickbait "buy my merch" video.

I AM TRANSGENDER (FEMALE TO MALE)www.youtube.com

After watching the entire 15-minute video, I have some mixed feelings. Upfront, I'm not transgender. I don't claim to speak for the trans community in any way. With that being said, I have close friends who have transitioned and walked me through my own education on the process, alongside the ins-and-outs of the community. My assessment is based entirely upon my understanding of the issue.

So first thing's first: Paytas's video is super, duper problematic. One Twitter user compiled a list of just some of the statements Paytas made that led me to shout at my screen. These include assertions like "I am transgender because I wish I had a penis so that my assertiveness would be respected and I wouldn't be thought of as a bitch," and also, "I CHOOSE to identify as boy."

No doubt about it, Paytas's video is a trainwreck, and I understand where all the backlash is coming from. The way she talks about and misidentifies transgenderism dilutes its seriousness, and the visibility of her platform poses a danger for actual transgender people who need to be taken seriously in order to get the medical and psychological assistance they need.

But here's the caveat: I don't think Paytas is attempting to be malicious at the expense of the transgender community. Rather, she seems to be confusing nonconforming gender presentation with being transgender.

One important distinction to make here is between gender nonconformity and gender dysphoria. Gender nonconformity is feeling uncomfortable within established gender roles. The root of these issues lie within social expectations around gender as opposed to one's own psychology. Gender dysphoria, on the other hand, is a medical diagnosis for people who experience persistent conflict between their gender identity and their biological sex. A gender nonconforming person can present as any gender they want, or choose their gender presentation at will without actually being "transgender." A transgender person almost always consistently feels that they were born with the wrong body. The difference is dysphoria, and the cure for dysphoria is usually transitioning.

The vast majority of Paytas's expressions of her "transgender identity" actually just suggest that she's not comfortable with traditional feminine gender roles. For instance, when she says that she wishes she had a penis so that her assertiveness would be respected, that's an issue rooted in social norms, not a mental disconnect between her genitals and her gender. Similarly, when she says that she's transgender because she doesn't like to wear makeup or that she identifies as a drag queen, Paytas is voicing her discomfort with traditionally feminine gender roles.

In other words, Paytas has every right to express herself as gender nonconforming. She's more than welcome to present herself as male. But that does not make her transgender. Transgender people don't choose to be transgender. Nobody chooses to have gender dysphoria. So many transgender issues revolve around access to healthcare procedures to correct the underlying issue of dysphoria. It is not a choice.

I'd like to give Paytas the benefit of the doubt here that she just doesn't understand the language and terminology involved and is unaware that she's conflating nonconforming gender presentation with being transgender. But her Tweets in response to the backlash come off very poorly, and she even refers to transgender people as "other trans."

Paytas's subsequent apology video (this time titled "apology" in all lowercase and devoid of any concert promotion description) doesn't fare much better. She seems to think that the backlash stems from the transgender community being unwilling to accept her as transgender due to her appearance and the fact that she has breasts, entirely failing to realize that the issue stems from her conflation of not wanting to conform to gender roles with "choosing" to be transgender.

apologywww.youtube.com


Paytas seems to grasp that her language rubbed people the wrong way, which is a start, but she completely fails to understand why. At one point during her apology video, Paytas laments the possibility of a future romantic partner seeing the title of her previous video and rejecting her for being transgender, despite the fact that she "chooses" how she presents on a daily basis.

At another point, she expresses a bizarre glorification of transgender identity, saying: "...I've always been drawn to the transgender community and the movement because [I] just love they can be out and open and people like applauded them." Paytas's characterization of transgender identity here is particularly staggering, as it seems to paint transgender identity as a celebration instead of a genuine expression of self that often subjects a person to discrimination and violence.

All of this suggests that Paytas is deeply insecure and is searching for an identity to latch onto. While her attachment to the "transgender" label is misguided and almost definitely incorrect, I'm not sure that makes her worthy of derision. If anything, Paytas strikes me as someone deeply in need of help, guidance, education, and empathy. I sincerely hope she finds it.

TV

7 Films and TV Shows to Celebrate Pride Month

Queer representation means more than just a queer character plopped in a plot line.

Pride

Photo by Margaux Bellott on Unsplash

Pride month is here and Drag Race is over, and unfortunately, it's hard to find many other shows for queer people by queer people. Supporting and celebrating pride month isn't just buying a rainbow shirt from Target; it's buying directly from queer artists and giving back to the culture. With representation more important than ever, these TV shows and films place queer characters right in the center where they belong. Here are some to look out for and catch up on.

Now Apocalypse(Starz)

Gregg Araki, known for his great contributions to the New Queer Cinema Movement, is at it again with this bizarre new show. Avan Jogia (of Victorious and Twisted fame) stars as Ulysses, a gay man who has disturbing, premonitory dreams that the world is ending. Ulysses's romantic and platonic relationships are explored with consideration for sexuality and fame in Los Angeles. Now Apocalypse takes LGBTQIA representation to the absurd and it couldn't be more fun. All episodes are now available for streaming on Starz.

Pose (FX)

Ryan Murphy's latest phenomenon is back for its second season on June 10th. The show centers on POC queer, cis and trans men and women as they navigate different NYC scenes and find purpose through the African American and Latinx ball culture. The show also investigates each character's place in society during the AIDs crisis, reclaiming the narrative and the hysteria of the era. If you're not caught up yet, the FX show is now on Netflix.

Rocketman

Executive produced by Elton John himself, Rocketman was released last weekend to a surprisingly solid first weekend. Bohemian Rhapsody's fill-in director, Dexter Fletcher, captures the life of a queer icon. Besides Rocketman being the first major Hollywood studio production to show a gay sex scene, the film does what Bohemian Rhapsody wanted to do but Queen would not allow: put a global icon's sexuality on display, explore the creative depths of a genius, and feature a lead actor that actually sings. Sing along and enjoy the breadth of great performances and direction.

Queer Eye(Netflix)

Ok, this is an obvious one, but season 3 only premiered in March! If you haven't already watched the fantastic makeovers and heart-warming stories that have come out of the reboot, you're missing out. Celebrate love and life by embracing those who are transformed by the Fab Five. While you're at it, preorder Tan France's book, Naturally Tan: A Memoir

Euphoria(HBO)

Not many know what this show is actually about, but the trailer seems to center on the complicated lives of youth today. Sexual and gender identities are at the forefront of conversation today, especially from adolescents aware of their pertinence in a way previous generations were not. LGBTQ activist and trans woman, Hunter Shafer, will star as a trans girl who befriends Zendaya's character and their relationship potentially becomes something more. Down the rabbit hole viewers will go! Premiering on June 16th, Euphoria gives everyone a reason to keep their HBO subscription.

Booksmart

White feminism aside, Booksmart is an important film because of its lesbian representation. Beanie Feldstein, break-out star of Lady Bird, explained how important her co-star's character is to her and society, "For me in my life, it is a part of who I am but it is not at all my defining feature. It doesn't mean I don't love my girlfriend, it's just part of who I am. And [the character]'s the same way. To see that in Amy and how beautifully Kaitlyn plays her and how beautifully Katie [Silberman, screenwriter] and Olivia [Wilde, director] crafted her, it's gonna change a lot of people's lives." Booksmart is still in theaters nationwide.

One Day at A Time (Netflix, for now)

The 70s sitcom reboot came with reevaluations. The showrunners, Kellet and Royce, decided to change the two daughters to a daughter and son. One of the main characters, the daughter Elena, did not start off as a gay character. It wasn't until Royce's real-life daughter came out that he realized he needed to tell this story. His writer's room invested their own experiences to shape a character and an on-going storyline that provided insight into a coming-out story and its realities in a fresh, familial context. It's done beautifully and truthfully. While Netflix has canceled the show, the creators are fighting to revive it on another platform or channel. #SaveODAT!

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WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 3: B*itchelor

Oh gurl. This is one of the best episodes of the season so far!

Making up for last week, this episode managed to be one of the most fun and drama-filled episodes of the season. With a fun acting and challenging acting challenge and a surprisingly stellar performance from one Kennedy Davenport - I am so glad to see we're finally getting some of the fun Drag Race is known for. Not to mention, we've got an all-out feud that seemed to be cut short pretty quick and a surprisingly somber lip-synch.
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