The Drag King Project
Toni Latour

“…many lesbian photographers have photographed themselves, their lovers, and their communities motivated by the belief that photographic self-representations are not only empowering in and of themselves, but, even more important, further the process of political consolidation and mobilization.”

-Abigail Soloman-Godeau, Representing Women: The Politics of Self-Representation

My motivation in conceiving the Drag King Project comes from a desire for continued queer representations from within queer communities. Giving voice to one’s world can be both a declaration and a celebration. When speaking about this project outside of queer scenes, the majority of people I encounter ask “What’s a drag king?” I often reply very casually by saying: “Well, you know what a drag queen is, so just think of it in reverse.” This seems to bring about a mental picture to get things started. For decades we have seen drag queens represented in popular culture, often as the butt of a joke, unfortunately, but they have certainly become part of mainstream consciousness. This is not the case for drag kings. The Vancouver lesbian, drag and trans communities repeatedly carve out places where definitions and types are celebrated, mocked and transcended. Through projects like this, we share ourselves, our lives and our ideas with both neighboring and divergent communities. I believe this project will contribute to ever expanding queer Canadian representations, and mark a time of celebration of transsexual, transgender, and drag king visibility.

- T. Latour

Exhibition date: May 17 – June 16, 2007

gallery    Shane Golby    M:19