Okay, I’m testing this bitch out with a post on drag queens.
Specifically, Glamazonia, the long time host of the Lifelong AIDS Alliance in Seattle’s Gay Bingo fundraiser. According to Joe.My.God, the Alliance instituted a new set of anti-sexual harassment policies which led to Glamazonia being asked to either clean up her act or move on.
According to Glamazonia, it is strictly impossible for her to refrain from using the words “fuck” or “cunt” in her act so she’s no longer hosting. As she says, “There was language [in the policy] how ‘the performer/mc will prepare material avoiding sexually suggestive material… will use appropriate language and avoid vulgar language.’ As a drag queen, if I stuck to this stuff by the letter, why, I’d have to wear a black robe and stand behind a podium and just read the numbers out. The contract said, ‘the host will not act in a flirtatious manner, will not wear reveailing (sic) clothing, will not make sexual gestures or comments.’ How could any drag queen appear or perform under these guidelines?”
Well, Dame Edna seems to manage it. So does Charles Busch. Indeed, even RuPaul managed to realize that “fuck” and “cunt” would probably result in her single not getting played, so, according to rumor that I’m making up for dramatic effect, changed the chorus of her song “Supermodel” from “You better work/FUCKING CUNT” to “You better work/COVER GIRL” and is now semi-famous for it.
Part of the problem, though, is that Glamazonia apparently didn’t even try and, apparently, doesn’t think she should have to. The Seattle Lifelong AIDS Alliance is a non-profit organization providing needed services to those living with HIV/AIDS. As a non-profit, they are dependent on charitable donations for their programs to function. The more charitable donations they receive, at least in theory, the more programs they can offer and the more clients they can service.
The event in question is “Black Tie Bingo”. Now, while I will fully admit I swear like a drunken sailor on my blog as well as when I’m drunk…and on a sailor…I know that there are appropriate places for outlandish behavior and there are times to not work “blue”. When you have an event that seems to be specifically targeting a classier audience in an attempt to pull in bigger donor dollars, there are lines you shouldn’t cross. It’s important to remember that the goal of the evening isn’t to show to the audience how outrageous one is, but to raise the most dollars possible for the cause.
Glamazonia seems to freely admit that the only humor she can pull off is offensive and inappropriate and, instead of trying to expand her act (and subsequently, quite possibly, expand her own client base), she ignores the requests of the organization and then rails at their impossible (although seemingly quite reasonable given the event) standards, blaming the organization and political correctness instead of her own inability when the organization no longer requires her services.
Are you kidding me? It’s like she made an outfit out of sequins, feathers, gold lamé and the victim card.
Of course, the blogosphere ( or the section of it that actually cares) is aghast at the Lifelong AIDS Alliance for their actions. Commentors at Joe.My.God called them everything from “stupid PC fucks” to “dumb fucking cunts”. Of course, the inability of drag queens to self-censor appropriately is never called into question and, indeed, is soundly derided as being just another victim of “PC-itus”.
The same “PC-itus”, one would assume, that many gays and lesbians suddenly catch when someone calls them a “fag” or “queer”. So, PC is hate speech…when you don’t like it?
The thing that’s most shocking about all of this is that a well-respecte agency dedicated to actually doing something in the community and helping those who need assistance is being raked over the coals because the only type of humor Glamazonia is self-admittedly capable of supplying is inappropriate trash humor. If that’s not shooting oneself in one’s well-manicured, 12″-Fuck-Me-Pump wearing foot, I’m not sure exactly what is.
