SUCK MY KoC
Fuck, I love drag kings. And fuck, I love drag kings of colour (KoC). An often overlooked part of queer and drag culture are drag kings. In this work I’ve captured some beautiful, incredible, sexy, hot kings. Get nice and intimate with Terri Nullius, Chio Bussy, Fine China, and Him.
Terri Nullius
“Indigenous people in so-called Australia are the longest living culture and have the longest artistic history. Drag feels like a way to honour my ancestors, to express myself in ways I typically wouldn’t be able to in other (typically) Eurocentric art spaces.”
“More and more people are realising drag isn’t just what you see on Drag Race, it’s not just big wigs, dips, and a dance pop tune (as much as I love that stuff). So many drag kings I have seen focus on the storytelling, on resistance, representing positive masculinity. People are slowly but surely letting drag kings shine, we always have, we just haven’t been as visible.”
Fine China
“Drag for me is about personal self-expression through performance, as well as honouring not only my queer identity but my cultural background as well. It has allowed me to confidently explore and incorporate various aspects of my culture through clothing, movement, song, and make-up, within a space that is supportive and unashamed. I think a lot of us BIPOC Kings have very similar experiences in which we approach drag through the scope of showcasing our ethnic cultures, and I think that’s truly beautiful.”
“Drag kings are so in szn. We’ve been seeing more venues feature Kings amongst Queens; there was the successful, sold-out show of ‘They Will Be Kings’; there’s been talk of a Drag King reality competition show in the works by the legendary Murray Hill; and there is, of course, the growing number of incredible Drag Kings within the community. So yeah actually, I can see Drag Kings getting more popular and dominating the world! Have you seen how HOT they all are?”
Chio Bussy
“Drag to me is the bridge between my cultural identity and my queerness. It is the freedom to be who I am, fully, without any compromises. I recently started trying to experiment with aspects of my heritage in my drag, like drawing 花钿 (huā diàn) on my face. I think about my ancestors doing the same. I’m from Singapore, and while I love the queer community at home, being able to walk down King Street with my full drag look on with relatively little fear has been so liberating. Stepping into my own masculinity when I’m in drag gives me the power to show that I’m not afraid to be who I am.”
Him
“My drag is a way to express my own gender identity. As a transmasc lesbian, I found it incredibly gender affirming to show my creativity through my appearance as an alter ego! The first time I performed in drag was for Bar Bombay. Although it was a lot of preparation and work, I felt an immense feeling of joy to perform with other South Asian drag kings to a Bollywood song. I’ve never really thought of drag kings being expressed in this way. Most drag king performances I have watched were usually white — but on the occasion where I would watch a KoC performance I felt represented and I loved the way their own culture and background was incorporated. Growing up watching Bollywood I would always wish I could somehow be the male love interest, and through drag it’s possible!”
“It's definitely the year of the Drag King. A couple of my friends have performed in smaller venues and I have seen more Drag Kings coming up as of now! I believe the Drag King community is so tied to non-men and often lesbians and other sapphics. We are overlooked in the queer community, especially if we are BIPOC. The community is growing and I would love to see Drag Kings in more mainstream media and clubs/bars.”
