Criticisms of Brigham Morris Young


Criticisms of Brigham Morris Young

Men playing women in theater or opera is a tradition that goes back as far as the ancient Greeks. It does not have a sexual connotation. While not as common today as it was pre-20th century, there are plays or performances where men still play as women. The term for this practice is travesti.

In contrast, "a drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have been a part of gay culture."[1] Drag queen has a sexual connotation and occurs primarily at LGBT events such as pride parades and drag pageants.

From these two definitions we can see that Brigham Morris Young participated in the traditional practice of travesti; he did not engage in sexual expression as a drag queen.


Notes

  1. "Drag queen," Wikipedia, accessed 27 May 2023.