9/11/08

IDKEX Diary: September 10 Miz Ginger Jones

As part of IDKE X, the International Drag King Community Extravaganza pre-event festivities, many of the performers and drag troupes have agreed to share their thoughts and stories about the upcoming event. Our 4th journal entry comes Miz Ginger Jones.

What did I get myself into?


This phrase has gone through my head more than once since embarking on this train ride through drag history and future. Had I known what my life would be like for the months of September and October 2008, perhaps I would have declined getting so involved with IDKE.X. But, I would have missed out on an amazing opportunity to be involved with a historical event in my town, in my community, and the idea of that is worse than the headaches and late nights.

But perhaps I am just a masochist.


Perhaps I am just a nerd who cannot help but get excited when reading abstracts and proposals which use the words “subversive,” “reify,” “deconstruction,” “genderqueer,” “feminism,” and “queer theory.”

I think, perhaps, I am a masochistic nerd who loves academia and performance and critical analysis of our community’s/communities’ queer and gender-fucked ways of expression, living, and performing.

I became a performer because of a queer theory course in grad school when I realized that I as a femme too could be a gender performer. My deep-seated love for the glamour, glitter, and jiggles of the stage came pouring out and hasn’t really stopped since. Ultimately, IDKE.X has been the perfect place for me to both nerd-out and glamour-out. Through organizing the IDKE.X Conference, I have been able to once again combine my love for the academic and my love for performance, performers, and the stage. In many ways it has gotten me prepared to re-enter the academic world as a student in just a couple of (very) short weeks, just before the hordes of genderfuckers descend on Columbus.

When I entered graduate school the first time I asked myself, “What did I get myself into?” The answer then was a crazy, self-directed rollercoaster ride of education, exploration, excitement, and a lifetime of memories.

The answer now isn’t much different:
IDKE.X has been a once-in-a-lifetime train ride with highs and lows and a lot of education. And while I could have been just a passenger watching it all whiz by, I am so glad and grateful I took charge of my trip through the drag kingcommunity’s past, present, and future.

Kisses,

Miz Ginger Jones

No comments: