Queens Behind the Scenes
An American in Milan takes a look at the local drag scene as anti-LGBTQ sentiment surges in his own country.
Introduction
I finished this project back in April. I was deeply invested in and proud of it, but I've been sitting on it ever since. Long story short, there seemed to be a decent chance that it would be published by a prominent Italian magazine, but said magazine has been caught up in corporate layoffs and restructuring. After weeks of radio silence from my contacts, it now seems fairly unlikely to me that they will publish the project.
Since this is Pride Month, I’ve decided to proceed with self-publishing it. If by chance it does eventually get published by the magazine, I'll be sure to let you know! In the meantime, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share this timely and urgent story with you.
-Michael
Queens Behind the Scenes
Last October, my husband and I moved from California to Milan. Though I was very excited about the change, there was much I was uncertain of, including what it would be like to be gay here. Coming from the socially liberal San Francisco Bay Area, I was unsure of what to expect as a gay couple in Italy, a country that (like many others) has a checkered record on LGBTQ rights.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered on our first weekend that a drag show is held regularly at our neighborhood food hall, Mercato Isola Comunale. The covered market features a delightful array of artisanal pizza, pasta, seafood, and fresh produce stalls, as well as a butcher shop, a caffè bar, a gelato stand, a cooking school, and…drag!
The mercato’s management is proud to tout the fact that inclusiveness is one of their fundamental values, and that they are “the first European market” to offer LGBTQ evenings. Known as Queer Food Village (“QFV”), the free, family-friendly event—which also features a DJ and karaoke—takes place nearly every weekend and draws a diverse audience: gay and straight, young and old. I’ve attended the show multiple times, and it has felt like such a breath of fresh air.
In my home country, I’ve watched with dismay the past few years as right-wing politicians, media personalities, and religious leaders have dramatically ramped up their attacks on the LGBTQ community. While the American right has a long-standing antipathy toward the gay community—having grown up in a fundamentalist Christian world, I’m all too familiar with such disdain—what is happening now is decidedly more hateful.
Apparently realizing they’ve lost the “culture war” over the issue of marriage equality, as polls show widespread public support for same-sex marriage rights, the increasingly fascistic right is directing their ire at the transgender and drag communities. They seem to be hoping that the American people will perceive trans people and drag performers as too different and too small in number to deserve the same rights as their fellow citizens.
At this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), one prominent speaker declared that “for the good of society … transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.” A tidal wave of bills in Republican-led states—including Texas and Florida (the second and third most-populous states, whose 52 million+ residents together account for nearly 1 in 6 Americans)—have banned transgender athletes, outlawed teaching high-school students about sexual orientation or gender identity, and criminalized gender-affirming medical care, imposing substantial fines and jail time on doctors, nurses, parents, or anyone else who assists a minor with obtaining such care.
In Tennessee, a state I once proudly called home for more than a decade, the governor has signed into law a bill prohibiting drag performances on public property or at locations where they can be viewed by minors. Offenders can be punished with substantial fines and up to six years in prison. Many other GOP-led states are trying to pass similar laws, which are often so broadly written as to cause widespread confusion and fear, thus causing people to self-censor and retreat for fear of running afoul of legal authorities. These extremists are also banning books that they disagree with, especially books with LGBTQ characters or themes, going so far as to vote to defund public libraries if they’re legally unable to remove such books from the shelves.
These thinly-veiled attacks against the broader gay and lesbian community, which put targets on all our backs, are driven by a moral panic currently infecting much of the U.S., a country that seems to be increasingly held hostage by far-right hysteria and conspiracy theories. Those spreading this hate are doing so in the name of “parental rights” and “protecting the children,” claiming (without evidence) that LGBTQ Americans are pedophiles and “groomers.”
As I’ve written elsewhere, such fearmongers are a menacing and transparent threat to freedom and liberty, all while hollowly claiming to champion both. They are busybodies who are unwilling to simply mind their own business, instead seeking to impose their views on others by controlling what they say, what they do with their own bodies, what books they read, and what clothing they wear. One of the most prominent of these figures, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is even waging war on Disney World, claiming they are “too woke.” (The environment in Florida is now so overtly hostile to the LGBTQ community that NBA All-Star basketball player Dwyane Wade, who spent most of his career with the Miami Heat, recently moved his family out of the state, in part to protect his transgender daughter, Zaya.) All of this is shameful, not to mention incredibly disheartening and dangerous. And due to the outsized global influence of the U.S., other countries are in part taking their cues from America and openly persecuting their own LGBTQ communities.
The reality is that drag does not pose a threat to anyone, and it should not be a crime. Drag is fun. Drag is joy. It’s performance art, it’s camp, and it’s fashion, but it’s more than all that. It’s about breaking free of norms and expectations, about self-acceptance, self-expression, and liberation.
I chose to photograph the performers from Queer Food Village for very personal reasons. When I was coming out of the tightly locked closet in Nashville in my mid-20s, some friends invited me to go with them to an LGBTQ nightclub called The Connection to dance and see the drag show. I went, very reluctantly, because I was extremely nervous. But what I found in that first visit, and in many subsequent nights there, was freedom and exhilaration and an exultation that I'd never known before. It's hard to explain the sense of camaraderie, community, and belonging. And there was such a unique relationship between the performers and the audience. Everyone had so much fun; I still think about it on a regular basis, some 25 years later.
I wanted to tell this story in an effort to portray the vulnerability and humanity, the power and playfulness, and the talent and hard work of my local drag queens. Lancaster Hall, the “boss” at QFV, entered her first drag show in her mid-teens. (Her mother, who she says is her “#1 fan,” had to sign a permission slip, since Lancaster was still a minor.) Over 10 years later, Lancaster is still going strong, typically working five nights per week. She has a closet filled with approximately 200 dresses, plus an abundant assortment of wigs, heels, and jewelry. She’s performed in London and Amsterdam, and last year she was named Miss Drag Queen Lombardia. Though the work may appear glamorous, it is still work, and it’s not particularly lucrative here in Milan when compared to other major European cities.
The lineup at QFV varies somewhat week by week, but there’s a core group who perform regularly. In addition to Lancaster, the other performers the night I shot this project were Mimi, Bianca, Regina, and Klyzia. They were all incredibly kind and gracious to me as I talked with and photographed them. And did I mention that drag queens are FUN? I had a great time.
I realize that many people have never seen a drag show or talked with a drag performer, and thus they have little information to help them formulate an opinion on the subject beyond the stereotypes and (mis)information they may have received from certain media outlets. I hope this project will in some small way offer them a new perspective.
I’m not, of course, suggesting that everyone needs to go to drag shows. If drag isn’t your thing, that’s fine; don’t go! But I do believe that all people of good will ought to be allies to the drag—and by extension, the larger LGBTQ—community. I encourage those who haven’t already to stand up and speak out and try to stop the surging tide of hatred and lies. Recognize that an attack on one is an attack on all. Put words to your feelings, and then put actions to your words. Push back against bullies. Stand up and speak out in your social circles and places of worship against fear-mongering and discrimination. It’s important, especially now, and it’s the right thing to do.
CREDITS
Writer and Photographer: Michael TenBrink
Talent: Bianca, Klyzia, Lancaster, Mimi, Regina
I love these photos so much!!