ALL HAIL L.A.’S LEGENDARY DRAG MOTHERS
THESE QUEENS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND IN RAISING A NEW GENERATION
THE BONDS THAT LGBTQ peoplecreatewithone another often are modeled on more socially sanctioned ones. You call a hot older guy your “daddy.” You refer to your best friend as your “sister.” You may be invoking a family unit, but the connotations are much more slippery; you’re always playfully twisting their definitions. Such is the case with the concept of a “drag mother.” ¶ This maternal figure within the drag world is both a caregiver and a mentor. They’ll just as readily give their adopted kids tips on their makeup and their performances as they will gladly offer both their ear and home. ¶ For many, the mothering they offer is something they were denied within their own biological families. For others, their decision to foster these relationships comes from knowing how important it can be to have someone in your corner: someone who’ll encourage you when you’re down and bring out the best in you, and who will also, let’s be honest, read you to filth if you’re not measuring up. ¶ Which is not to say these bonds aim to merely replicate any other kind of known family dynamic. For one, drag queens often find themselves informally adopting kids at a young age. And, of course, it’s a mutual decision; a commitment two queens make to each other. ¶ A drag mother, then, both reifies and defies motherhood as we understand it. To illustrate such complementary contradictions, we talked to a group of L.A. queens who have, over the years, taken folks under their wings. They shared their journeys with us: how they embraced such a label, how they mentor and mother their kids, and what they’ve learned about themselves along the way.