Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2019 May 16

= May 16 =

“Drag kid” term origins
Hi! I’ve been working on the Desmond is Amazing article and sources state how he says he invented the term “Drag kid”. I’d like to use it in the article but as he’s a little kid he also could be mistaken. Can anyone find a good source for where the term comes from? Gleeanon409 (talk) 07:53, 16 May 2019 (UTC)


 * Celebrating the sexualizing of kids??? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 10:31, 16 May 2019 (UTC)
 * What are you talking about? -- Jayron 32 10:40, 16 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Read it, and try not to retch. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:45, 16 May 2019 (UTC)
 * You mean your comments? Nil Einne (talk) 16:12, 16 May 2019 (UTC)
 * I mean the sexualizing of kids can make a normal person retch. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:21, 16 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes, the acceptance of the LGBTQ community makes me retch too.... Please don't use Wiki as a platform for your transphobia. Now can mod please deal with this hatespeech? Fgf10 (talk) 08:08, 17 May 2019 (UTC)
 * What hate speech? Little girls being put into beauty pageants is equally nauseating, for the same reason. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 10:14, 17 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Please don’t be pervy. Gleeanon409 (talk) 13:21, 16 May 2019 (UTC)


 * I wouldn't use the term "drag kid" in that sense. Novice drag performers often have mentors that they refer to as "drag mother"/"drag mom" or "drag father"/"drag dad" and the experienced performer will refer to those they help and advise as "drag children" or "drag kids". I would just refer to him as a "kid who does drag" or a "young drag queen". --Khajidha (talk) 12:59, 17 May 2019 (UTC)
 * I appreciate this feedback, however in looking to verify, I can see “drag daughter” is commonly used, same for “drag children”. But both “drag kid” and “kinderdrag” appear to be nearly exclusively used with Desmond is Amazing and not before he used these terms as self-descriptors. I’m looking to verify the origins of either or both terms. Gleeanon409 (talk) 03:22, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately, "drag kid" in the sense I am aware of is the sort of thing that doesn't get written down in reliable sources. I know many queens who speak of their "drag kids", but can't cite anything for you. --Khajidha (talk) 14:17, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Wait, wait, WAIT!! https://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/queen-mothers/Content?oid=2088832 First example needs a little extrapolation: "A drag mother takes care of her kids like any mother." Second example is exact: "She's also reared five drag kids of her own." --Khajidha (talk) 14:34, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * And here's a usage from 2010: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2010/06/17/queery-richard-legg/
 * I have no doubt that Desmond coined the usage for a very young drag performer, but "drag kid" has been used basically as long as "drag children" or "drag daughter". Much like the difference between the base words "children" and "kids", "drag kid(s)" is more likely to be spoken while "drag child(ren)" is more likely to show up in print. --Khajidha (talk) 15:24, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Thank you! I was sure there was something somewhere but I kept striking out. Gleeanon409 (talk) 19:15, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
 * You really have to dig deep to find it, though. Not surprising as it is "ingroup" slang. And the group has historically been very much underground. The current mainstream interest in drag is very different from the historical treatment of drag. (There's reasons that many of the first incidents in the gay rights movement had drag queens at the center of things.) It's kind of like researching carny talk.--Khajidha (talk) 19:21, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Truth is Desmond chose to use the term since he didn't have much in common with 'adult' drag queens.Upsetterfc (talk) 22:42, 23 May 2019 (UTC)