“I Don’t Want to Have Sex as a Woman”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Sexuality and Sexual Practices of Drag Queens in Germany

Anna Theresa Schmid, Shahin Payam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
217 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Drag queens are typically gay men who perform as caricature-like women. They thereby publicly challenge “naturally” binary gender role categories, though it remains unclear how that interplays with their private (e.g., sexual) lives. This study seeks to answer this question by exploring the sexuality and sexual practices of drag queens. Employing a critical realist approach, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted in Germany, with questions focusing on the drag queens’ views on sexuality and sexual positioning. By adopting a thematic analysis, three main themes were identified: natural versus artificial identity; advocacy for sexuality; and rejection of heteronormativity. Results suggest that the primary intention of drag queens is to challenge heteronorms, while they regularly adhered to these privately. This illustrates the distinction made by the participants between their “public” persona, an artificial character that lacks sexuality, and their “private” life (e.g., sexual practices), shaped by an “inborn” sexuality.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2180-2200
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Homosexuality
Volume70
Issue number10
Early online date14 Mar 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 24 Aug 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article. We thank the participants of this study for their trust and courage to share their experiences and thoughts on this sensitive topic.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Keywords

  • sexuality
  • drag queen
  • sexual positioning
  • sexual health
  • qualitative
  • LGBT health
  • sexual identity
  • Sexuality

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