I used to do drag several years back when I was exploring my gender during a hard period of my life, dealing with body dysmorphia along with an autoimmune disease, going to college, etc. Being in an art school with other people who were experimenting and labeling their identities was hard when I didn't feel like any specific gender.
I felt I couldn't relate to the community that was supposed to model acceptance of self when I didn't like any of the confining labels or my body.
I remember being a teen listening to Will Wood's "I/Me/Myself," and a college student watching "Pose" and imagining what it would be like to feel comfortable in my body. It inspired me to find ways to explore and embrace my body and existance in new ways: performance.
Dressing up and performing as a drag king and queen had been a comfort years before I finally got the time and support I needed to take steps to make my human experience comfortable within the body I resided in.
These are the two outfits I wore the most!
I don't have a label I use, nor a specific flag to carry. All I know is that I feel more like me, and I love me.
To everyone who is still discovering themselves and those who find nothing quite describes the beautiful experience of knowing who you are and being proud of the indescribable existence of pure love that is you, I wish you all a happy Pride Month! <3
You are loved.