Something you might not know about me is that I am a HUGE fan of the art of drag. I don't know when it started*, but obviously I was over the moon when RuPaul's Drag Race premiered way back in 2009, and I have watched every episode of the U.S. version since**. My favorite thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon is rewatch the latest episode and I sometimes even get a little emotional during the lip syncs, because watching amazingly talented, creative, and artistic individuals do what they do best is incredibly moving to me.
Quick side note - The Boulet Brothers' Dragula is another cool drag competition that has moved to yet another paid streaming service, although it tilts a bit more toward the "filth" and "horror" elements, in case that's not your bag.
At this point you might be wondering - is there a point to this post? Yaaaas queen, there is - I finally got around to reading this awesome book. The subtitle is: "The First Decade of RuPaul's Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life" and the book is just that - a history of queer culture as seen through Drag Race, which incorporates it at every turn. Now that I have read this book through once, I intend to read it again much more slowly, so I can pause and do research on some of the drag pioneers I wasn't already aware of. Total must-read for fans of drag and highly recommended.
*Fun fact - I was blessed by a drag queen at age 21, which was a loooooooong time ago in a galaxy semi-far away
**As the overseas versions are on Paramount + and I refuse to pay for yet another streaming service I sadly won't be watching them soon, but I obviously hope to someday
