MORE ANCIENT DRAG HISTORY BY LINDA SIMPSON

New York now has two drag strongholds — Hell’s Kitchen (the city’s gay epicenter) and the outer reaches of Brooklyn, where the youthquake gender-fuck esthetic is reminiscent of the 1980s East Village. However, NYC’s influence has clearly weakened. Thanks to Drag Race, today’s top queens are likely to be from Smalltown, USA, having learned their craft from YouTube tutorials rather than drag mothers.

It’s a whole new drag world, and to all you queens enjoying the moment, my generation has something to say: You're welcome. We paved the way, boldly going where no other gender illusionists had gone before. During difficult times, we rose to the occasion and provided joy and color. It’s no exaggeration: we were the greatest drag generation.

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