Zone1 Drag Shows in the U.S. military during WWII

[JohnDB]

To claim that men who were in constant fear and boredom which were reduced to create their own entertainment for escape are somehow remotely related to modern sexualized drag shows is a pathetic lie of epic proportion.

And to publish articles on the subject is only proving that the author is an idiot.

 

[Mac-7]

I think as usual you are missing my point entirely.

Which is?

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

I think as usual you are missing my point entirely.

Which is?

If you haven’t understood by now, you will never understand.

Of course if you are really interested, you can read the OP article and the links I provide and of course my many comments. Of course you really prefer “one liners” that can’t possibly advance a serious discussion.

Among other things, my comments speak of and recognize the historical oppression of gays and the ways drag performance has provided both gays and straights a chance to play with sexual identity norms and — for some — a chance to find a “safe space” to express themselves.

Not my cup of tea, but for thirsty, sexually oppressed or restricted souls, “drag” has often provided … a nourishing refresher.

MARLENE DIETRICH rare photo in Navy officer male-drag in SEVEN SINNERS 1940 "In Europe, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman – we make love with anyone we find attractive."​

 

[Mac-7]

If you haven’t understood by now, you will never understand.

Of course if you are really interested, you can read the OP article and the links I provide and of course my many comments. Of course you really prefer “one liners” that can’t possibly advance a serious discussion.

Among other things, my comments speak of and recognize the historical oppression of gays and the ways drag performance has provided both gays and straights a chance to play with sexual identity norms and — for some — a chance to find a “safe space” to express themselves.

Not my cup of tea, but for thirsty, sexually oppressed or restricted souls, “drag” has often provided … a nourishing refresher.

You are mistaken

The GI’s were not oogling men dressed as women and “getting off”

That generation had a firmer grip on reality

 

[Couchpotato]

If you haven’t understood by now, you will never understand.

Of course if you are really interested, you can read the OP article and the links I provide and of course my many comments. Of course you really prefer “one liners” that can’t possibly advance a serious discussion.

Among other things, my comments speak of and recognize the historical oppression of gays and the ways drag performance has provided both gays and straights a chance to play with sexual identity norms and — for some — a chance to find a “safe space” to express themselves.

Not my cup of tea, but for thirsty, sexually oppressed or restricted souls, “drag” has often provided … a nourishing refresher.

MARLENE DIETRICH rare photo in Navy officer male-drag in SEVEN SINNERS 1940 "In Europe, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman – we make love with anyone we find attractive."​

How does this relate to what's currently being objected to with regard to drag and drag shows? Im having a very hard time seeing the correlation.

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

How does this relate to what's currently being objected to with regard to drag and drag shows? Im having a very hard time seeing the correlation.

I didn’t post this article on drag performances in WWII & the fifties in order to provide answers to everything “currently being objected to with regard to drag and drag shows” by Republicans and Conservatives.

Much less did I do so to take a position on “transitioning,” parenting “gender dysphoric” kids, or other such complicated hot-button issues. I strongly believe broad omnibus laws like those being proposed on the right should NOT dump all these issues together.

I welcome your question, though. I encourage others to soberly consider how actual U.S. history and the history of U.S. attitudes toward drag and non-traditional sex roles has evolved and shaped the present — often helping free our society of old archaic patriarchal restrictions on gender roles, homosexuality, women’s rights, “miscegenation,” etc.

People should remember well that during WWII and afterwards state mandated anti-gay “sodomy laws” made homosexual relations entirely illegal. Drag performances at “homosexual hangouts” were out of the question then. Like outlawing liquor or interracial marriage & love, all these laws had deeply negative effects on society as a whole, and especially on targeted groups.

I don’t think we as a nation are heading back to an era of Victorian or Puritan morality where folks are forced back into taboo caste status and living “in the closet” — despite the manifest desires of many rightwing extremists to “wipe out” all so-called “perversion.”

But I do think many of the far right’s new proposed laws to “protect children” from exposure to indecent drag performances are the product of moral hysteria, cynically pushed by partisan politicians to win votes from very traditional and religious “Christian” Moral Majority types. I think many of these proposals manifestly violate free speech rights.

This is especially true of those parts of these bills that ban “impersonating the opposite sex” in LGBTQ parades or public rallies or perhaps even in ordinary everyday life.

Of course were there a successful authoritarian seizure of power by Trump supporters “terminating” our laws and Constitutional protections, or even just a Trump sweep back into power in 2024, the right would probably not hesitate to try to turn the clock back culturally fifty or sixty years.

Parts of the new proposed laws against “exposing children” to “drag shows” in bars where liquor is sold or “indecent pornography” is on display are redundant, as local regulations exist that do this already. The likelihood is if the far right grows strong it will increasingly abuse these laws to close down popular gay social venues altogether, just as abortion has been increasingly squeezed out of Southern and deep “red” states.

In my opinion gays and transvestites or transgenders have a right to celebrate — in drag if they wish — at public “pride” events. The basic civil rights and bodily autonomy of everybody must be protected. In many cities and towns these events are annual and colorful events, often like MardiGras parades.

I don’t approve of faddish extremism and identity politics either, but that is another whole discussion.

 

[Frankeneinstein]

Try millions of years....

lol...still following the science?

and it will never stop because grooming is what humans do....

...and then deny it.

 

[themirrorthief]

lol...still following the science?

...and then deny it.

queers always get a lot more popular when their is no pussy around

 

[dudmuck]

You are mistaken

The GI’s were not oogling men dressed as women and “getting off”

That generation had a firmer grip on reality

 

[HeyNorm]

^^^biden voters

 

[Mac-7]

Our insecurity is not knowing what the crazy perverts will do next

 

[BS Filter]

Why do you support sexualizing children?

 

[braalian]

If chicks can dress like dudes and it's ok why can't dudes dress like chicks if they want to?

If enough men wanted to, they would do so and it would eventually become socially acceptable. Much like women eventually being allowed to wear pants.

Obviously, the vast majority of men do not want to dress up like women. Therefore it remains socially unusual to do so.