A Queer Cooptation of Sport: RuPaul’s Drag Race Contestants as Athletes in a Culture of Risk and Injury

Abstract

RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) is a reality television show wherein drag queens compete for the title of America’s next drag superstar. This article contends that RPDR is sport and that the queens are contestants in a culture of risk wherein queens must be willing to play through pain, risk their bodies, and demonstrate emotional toughness to succeed. A hegemonic power structure exists on RPDR wherein judges, fans, and contestants reward queens willing to participate in the culture of risk and deem queens unwilling to participate as unworthy. Using a discourse analysis of Season 9, this article will demonstrate how the contestants on RPDR must conform to the traditional masculine and feminine gender norms commonly found in sporting contexts to garner success on and off the show.