It's off to the races in Lebanon, in drag
The popularity of 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' has injected new life into Lebanon’s drag scene, whose performers bring unique cultural elements to the drag tradition.
With the lights down in the performance space in Hamra, one of Beirut's liveliest neighborhoods, five drag queens reveled in their singular spotlights, lip-syncing songs. The audience applauded and cheered them on.
Drag culture has existed in Lebanon for several decades, gaining popularity with performances by Bassem Feghali, who brought the tradition into the mainstream in the 1990s. The number of drag performers has since grown from one major figure to more than 30 relatively well-known queens of varying degrees of fame.
The popularity of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the competitive American reality television series, has spurred renewed interest in drag in Lebanon. Despite the show’s popularity, however, Lebanon’s scene differs markedly in some ways from its Western counterpart, with Lebanese queens bringing a unique cultural identity to their drag.
Sultana got into drag a year ago, realizing that it was something she could do after watching RuPaul’s show.
