opinions // no. 14 Roshni Riar Staff Writer ith the growing popularization of drag in the mainstream, it’s been a great couple of years to be a fan of the art form. From watching new queens hit the scene, continually having a plethora of new seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race to watch, and witnessing well-known queens like Shangela and Willam make it to the Oscars—it’s certainly starting to feel like despite inevitable scrutiny and judgement, drag is becoming recognized as a valid and meaningful art and practice. As drag reaches a wider audience, Instagram in particular is beginning to see the emergence of new, inspired queens. A few months ago, while searching for new queens to follow, I stumbled upon the page of a drag kid by the name of Desmond is Amazing. With an impressive 140,000- plus followers, it seemed like u-year-old Desmond had really carved out a space for himself within the scene. I decided not to follow him because at the time, I had mixed opinions about a child doing drag. A few months later clips of Desmond performing with Drag Race alumni and ae RUCE 2 Sauk STF Swen Nels Illustration by Cara Seccafien Drag is not child's play » Kids should not be exposed to the adult themes in drag culture appearing on Good Morning America surfaced. As of now, it seems like he—and many other emerging drag kids—is on an upward trajectory in terms of exposure and opportunity. While I’m happy for Desmond’s success, the more I think about children doing drag, the less I feel I can support them. It’s fantastic that some families are open-minded and encouraging when it comes to drag. However, given the nature of drag with all its oversexualized jokes, themes, and inherently adult setting— most modern drag shows take place in bars—it doesn’t feel like it’s appropriate to allow a child into that mix and expect them to keep up with crass humour and jokes that they shouldn't understand. Even when attending an all-ages drag show, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable when a drag queen starts talking about a Grindr hookup in graphic detail and there's a preteen in the front row awkwardly trying to laugh along. As drag kids gain more exposure, they are also attracting controversy. Earlier this year, a photo emerged of another popular drag kid Queen Lactacia posing with Violet Chachki—season seven winner of Drag Race—who was almost completely naked. Chachki was heavily criticized for posing for the photo, which was taken at the annual convention DragCon. While I agree that the onus was on her to reject it, the part I really take issue with is that this situation was even allowed to get that far. Plenty of queens wear next to nothing—in season seven of Drag Race, there was an entire naked runway theme—and it’s never been a problem when it’s in an adult setting. With drag, it’s better to expect the unexpected and nudity and sexuality are par for the course. Sure, a drag convention blurs the boundaries around whether it’s truly an adult setting, but Lactacia’s mother runs his Instagram and was the one who snapped the photo and posted it. Instances like this make me wonder how much of a drag kid’s path is set by their parents being superfans of Drag Race and it worries me that their drag personas might just be projections of their parents’ dreams. Ina livestream a few months ago, Desmond is Amazing shockingly joked around about ketamine and even mimicked how to use the drug. While I'd theotherpress.ca Is Photo of Desmond is Amazing via YouTube say drug use isn’t something you should ever really joke about, you especially shouldn't even begin to know how to joke about it as a child. I feel like even if his parents—who also run his account—go to great lengths to protect him from the presence of drugs and oversexualization, exposure to these aspects is inevitable in the industry that he is making a name for himself in. It’s really inspiring to see families support their children to be their authentic selves, but the world of drag kids just doesn't sit right with me, especially when that world overlaps and intersects with adult drag queens’ worlds. I don’t think that drag queens should have to tone themselves down or make their sets more family-friendly because of the possibility of drag kids being present. They are adults, in adult settings, who most likely didn’t intend to do family-friendly drag. It’s something as little as swearing or telling a story about a hook-up or a crazy night out—for a kid, none of that is particularly appropriate to hear, let alone be a part of. Watch your fucking language Jessica Berget wearing is a big part of who I am. It’s agreat way to punctuate what youre saying or to _ express yourself and your emotions, so | why would I stop? Because someone asked me to? Fuck that. Asa writer, I know how much power words can have. When I cuss it’s because I feel that I’m using the right word to emphasize what I want to say or give more weight to it. I don’t swear for the sake of swearing; there is meaning behind my profanities. Opinions Editor » Don't ask people to stop swearing Late and great comedian George Carlin once compared swearing to seasoning: “You don't need paprika or oregano or a few other things to make a stew [...] but you makea better stew. If you're inclined to make a stew of that type, ‘seasoning’ helps.” If I want to pepper in a few cuss words into my conversations, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, telling others not to cuss when they're around you is something I take issue with. I know a lot of people find curse words extremely offensive, which I don’t understand. Curse words are just words and they can’t hurt you. I think if you're offended by profanities or the way someone talks, that’s your problem and you have no right to police what others say just because you don't like it. You have every right to ask the person politely to stop swearing, but they also have every right to tell you to fuck off. If you don’t like what someone is saying or how they’re saying it, you can walk away. No one is forcing you to stick around and listen to something you dont like to hear. Honestly, when people tell me to watch my language, it makes me want to swear even more. Another thing that bothers me is when people tell me not to swear because there are kids around. I don’t purposefully make a point to curse around children, so if I accidently do it then dont hold it against me. With that being said, I don't see a problem with a child hearing a couple of swear words now and then. If I’m having an adult conversation with an adult friend in an adult environment, of course I’m going to use adult language. I shouldn't have to censor myself because a child is around. They're going to hear it sooner or later anyway. People seem to get up in arms about not wanting to teach kids that swearing is okay, but I think as long as you teach your child about swear words and when it’s appropriate to use them, it shouldn't be an issue. It’s not okay to police others’ language, even when it comes to swear words. People curse for a variety of reasons, whether they’re upset, angry, happy, or just want to punctuate what they’re saying. If people want to use profanity once in a while, or even a lot, it’s not your business to tell them to stop. Ask yourself if it’s really worth getting upset over words. Manspreading isn't that big of a deal, but it is rude » Everyone should be aware of how they take up space on public transit Jessica Berget Opinions Editor A Tam writing this, I sit with my knees spread far apart, or in a position many refer to as “manspreading,” It’s actually quite comfortable and I don’t blame men for doing it. I don’t think manspreading is as big an issue as some make it out to be, but still, it’s important to be aware of how you take up your space on public transportation. Sitting with your legs spread out so that you take up more than one seat is not the politest way to position yourself in a public place. I find it hard to believe that the reason men sit like this is to assert dominance or because of patriarchal power dynamics, as some suggest. I think it’s simply because it’s more comfortable. Cisgender men have dicks, and as a consequence it’s uncomfortable for them to sit with their legs crossed or knees together. sit like this, nor does it solve the problem. Rather, I think it just creates more issues manner, plus some women even sit like this. It’s not a gendered problem—some people are just assholes. At the same time, it’s not fair to vilify all men who sit in a manspread position. Most probably don't even realize they're by demonizing men. Not all men sit in this Some individuals and even local governments have heavily protested the act of manspreading. In Madrid, manspreading on public transit is banned altogether. In my opinion, this doesn’t even attempt to understand the real reason men doing it. I know after a long day on your commute home, you just want to let it all hang out. I have nothing against anyone who prefers to sit with their legs open. With that being said, I also think you have to be conscious of how the space you occupy in public may affect others. I agree that some people tend to overstep their boundaries. We shouldn't just blame men for taking up space on public transit. Women are sometimes also guilty of taking up an extra seat—for example, with their bags (I'm even guilty of this). I don’t see it as a gendered problem—it’s a spatial awareness and courtesy on public transit problem. Before you take up extra space with your legs or your bags, make sure that you are not taking up anyone else’s space.