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It's All Women in This Old Boys ClubBy Katherine TorresWednesday, April 20, 2005 Kendra Kuliga (aka Ken Las Vegas) founded the D.C. Kings in March 2000. In the southeast section of the nation's capital, anticipation and excitement were building up in a lesbian club. Two bartenders -- one a voluptuous, longhaired brunette and the other a pudgy, shorthaired blonde -- were frantically trying to serve drinks to the thirsty women. On the far end of the softly lit venue, three hefty women with buzz cuts played an intense game of pool. Directly above them, a large screen monitor played "Bound," a movie in which Jennifer Tilley and Gina Gershon engage in steamy, lesbian encounters. The sounds of 80s rock-n- roll weren't enough to drown out the club patrons excited chatter. Old, young, butch and feminine women crowded around the stage, and waited for the performers to take the stage. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the show began. Clad in a black suit and sporting a goatee, a handsome, debonair performer named 'E-Cleff' goes on stage and lip-synched 'Because It's Really Love,' by Luther Vandross. As suave as a professional R&B singer, E-Cleff descends the platform and croons to the women in front of the stage. They go wild, tossing dollar bills at E-Cleff's feet. "I love you E-Cleff," a woman shouted. At first glance, E-Cleff, like the other acts that followed, appears to be the quintessential male performer. Handsome, smooth and stylish, E-Cleff looks very masculine. But E-Cleff is not a man nor does she want to become one.
Redefining cross dressing E-Cleff is a member and choreographer for the D.C. Kings, an avant-garde performance-art troupe of 70 active members located in and around Washington , D.C. Although they are often mistaken for wanting to become men, these women pride themselves in performing without the presence of gender boundaries. Like their lamŽd and lipsticked queen sisters, these cross-dressing impersonators embody campy cuteness, with catchy names like Boise Studley, Geoff E. Lube and Kayron the Don Juan. "It's actually pretty funny that we (drag kings) only know each other by our drag king name and not by our actual name" E-Cleff said laughing. E-Cleff or Ebone Bell by birth, saw her first drag king show when she was 20 years old. She had never heard of drag kings before, but was captivated by the show when she saw the troupe perform at Apex, a club located in northwest D.C. "It really struck me" she said. "I didn't know why I wanted to do this, but I knew I wanted to know more about it."
Birth of the Kings The D.C. Kings was established by Kendra Kuliga (aka Ken Las Vegas) in March 2000. Before starting the D.C. Kings, Ken, as she likes to be called, was performing as a king since 1996 at various venues throughout Washington . "I've always loved to dancing around the living room," she said. "It's always felt natural for me to perform." When she preformed at Club Chaos in 1999, the club's owner wanted Ken to organize a show on a regular basis. The turnout for the next show was overwhelming, Ken says, and that is how the D.C. Kings started. Although not as well known as drag queens, drag kings have been around for a quite a while, according to Ken. "In the 1920's, they were known as male impersonators," she said. "It wasn't until 1994-1995 that "drag king" became a term." The D.C. Kings put a lot of effort in their attire. As princes of parody, they know one thing for sure: Size does matter, and the length many drag kings take to display masculinity is impressive. They glue human hair with a spirit gum to create facial hair. They bind their breasts with plastic wrap or ace bandages to flatten their chests. Finally, they pack their underwear with socks or prosthetics to replicate the "male package."
More than just laughs Polished routines, clever costumes and well-rehearsed acts are not all that is on the agenda for drag kings. Many of these gender illusionists convey a political and social message in their performances, something that seems more popular among them than their queen counterparts. A perfect example was a political skit performed by another D.C. King member criticizing John Ashcroft and the Patriot Act, according to E-cleff. Other political acts discussed themes such as animal rights, hate crimes and repressed homosexuality. They may be lip-synching the words to their songs, but that doesn't mean that drag kings don't have plenty to say, she said. They also learn a lot from other drag kings throughout the United States and around the world, said Ken. Once a year, they get together at a select city to perform at the International Drag King Extravaganza, a weekend of gender-bending workshops, panels, and schmoozing. This year it will be held in Winnipeg, Canada. "It's a great opportunity to get to know other kings and have fun," E-Cleff said. Membership to the D.C. Kings is open to everyone. The only mandatory requirement is to attend the monthly meetings so that new members can learn how the showÕs work, Ken said. "I just have four expectations for new members," Ken said. "Bring your own music, know your lyrics, be respectful and supportive and be on time." Ken and E-Cleff both hope to bring more diversity to D.C. Kings. Heterosexuals, "bio-males" and minorities are groups that they would like to see attend more drag king shows. "It is important to be open to all sorts of people so that drag kings become better known," E-Cleff said. Overall, though Ken is pleased with the success the D.C. Kings have had for the past five years. She says that on a trip to London, she overheard two people talking about the DC Kings. "I was just blown away that we are known internationally," she says. "I know a lot has to do with the Internet and our International Drag King Extravaganza, but I still think it's pretty cool. Katherine Torres is a graduate student in journalism at American University |
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