Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024
12:30 pm – 2 pm, at PCN 2012
6445 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Daniel Gallardo
Title: Putting the ‘Camp’ in Camp! The encounters of an educator dragging it out in the open.
Abstract:
Amidst growing restrictions and violent acts targeting the 2S/LGBTQ+ students in schools, and the increasing pushback against drag culture within youth environments in North America, drag pedagogy is imperative for understanding “queer/trans ways of being that reach beyond the present” (Keenan & Hot Mess, 2020, p. 9). This presentation explores the positive implications of drag performance on educational programs, particularly through my experiences as an educator who creates drag encounters at diverse community organizations around Turtle Island.
Drag encounters bring together an intergenerational community of 2S/LGBTQ+ folks who collectively learn through a decolonial, radical, anti-racist and genderfluid lens. These drag encounters not only equip queer youth with self-confidence and empowerment but also serve as acts of defiance to crash the cis-tem. I ask 2S/LGBTQ+ youth to embody their imagination and free themselves from social constructions that have been imposed on their identities. I encourage them to think about decolonizing drag, including considering the inherent hierarchies in the terms ‘drag queen’ and ‘drag king’, and moving towards reclaiming terms that have been used to shame the queer community in the past, such as drag monsters, mutants and things.
This presentation narrates the transformative experiences and pedagogical insights I garnered as a drag educator during three drag encounters. I explore how these encounters fostered an environment where youth engaged with their identities in an intersectional and brave space. For many participants, it was the first time they felt safe to be whoever they wanted and experiment outside the limitations of our social system. I discuss how drag encounters demonstrate the vital role of drag pedagogy in challenging colonial narratives and fostering opportunities for cultivating and sustaining community to ignite what Muñoz (1999) described as disidentification – a space where youth can explore, dissect, question and affirm their identities. Finally, I propose that drag pedagogy allows us to imagine otherwise and see beyond others’ perceptions of us or the categories they might trap us in. The time has come for education to drag it out in the open.
RSVP