Rugby players on another field. This Friday, in “Drag Race France”, the candidates had to take up the “maxi-challenge” of forming a drag duo with an athlete. In this case, players from Festive roosters, an inclusive, gay friendly rugby team, where each member, whether homo, bi or straight, has the assurance of being able to be themselves without fear of judgment from others. How did they live this experience in high heels? What did they learn about themselves and the art of drag? 20 minutes posed the questions to two of the participants. Here are their testimonials.
“I know that friends will judge me. I will show them that there is nothing dramatic”
Rayhanne, 32, is gay. The next season will be his seventh with the Coqs festifs team. Before discovering ” Drag Race France » last year, he had never been interested in this concept. He teamed up with Piche.
“I didn’t necessarily have any apprehension before arriving on the set of ‘Drag Race France’. On the contrary, I really liked the idea because, on the surface, I’m cataloged as a somewhat boorish guy. This allowed me to break the codes. When people want to put me in a box, I want to show that I can do something else. I am convinced that we all have a part of femininity in us. The question is to accept it or not. My only real fear was to disappoint, to do badly. I struggled to walk in heels, it’s a nightmare. I had the biggest thighs, it doesn’t help. When I saw myself in drag for the first time, it was impressive. I would not have imagined it. I was surprised not to recognize myself. Looking closer, I saw the precision of the makeup. I understood why I had remained immobile for two and a half hours – I was yelled at because I had a tendency to raise my eyebrows, to move too much… What also made me funny was when the others said that from the moment I saw myself wearing makeup, my personality changed, I spoke more… As if I were another person.
I learned that behind each drag, there is a story, it touched me. Unfortunately, these are not always happy stories. Personally, I have a not obvious past, with my family, about my sexual orientation, so I recognized myself on certain points. I wouldn’t say I’ve totally changed, but I have more esteem and respect for what drag does than before. I still have friends today who tell me: “I don’t watch drag raceit’s not for me”. They want to do – I’ll use a term from Grindr [l’appli de rencontre] – “masc for masc” [pour ” masculine for masculine “, lorsqu’un homme gay ou bi estimant correspondre aux critères de virilité exprime sa volonté de ne pas nouer de contact romantique et/ou sexuel avec un homme efféminé]. I was kind of like that, without realizing it, because I thought the show wasn’t for me. But I had never looked before last year.
I know for a fact that when the episode comes out, there’s going to be some kind of judgment from these friends. I have strong shoulders. I will take advantage of this moment to show them that you can be masculine, manly, whatever you want, but besides that you can have fun, there is nothing dramatic. On the pitch, I can be a little “rough”, because it’s the sport that wants that, but outside of that, I’m a very nice person, I’m a sweetheart. Putting on a drag allowed me to show a part of femininity, to assume it. You feel more liberated afterwards. »
“It was like meeting another part of me”
François, 36, is heterosexual and the father of two children. This musicianan ally of the LGBT community and sensitive to inclusiveness, has been part of the Coqs festifs for six years.
“For me, as a hetero, it is important to raise your voice to defend the LGBT cause. The sentences of a straight man are sometimes said so quickly when he sees a gay man coming to terms with himself on TV. There, I had the opportunity to say to these people: “I’m fine, everything is fine. It’s a physical transformation that leads to talking, acting and reacting. I lived the experience thoroughly. With Sara Forever, we were complementary. I’ve been following the franchise for years RuPaul’s Drag Race, so I already had a feeling of it, but I still discovered the professionalism involved in drag art. You have to know how to make up, dress, dance, play…
When I saw myself in drag, it was very special. Contrary to what others say, I managed to recognize myself through makeup. I saw another side of me, my feminine aspect, express itself in an outrageous way. I perceived it as an encounter with another part of me. When you’re a basic straight parent, you’re always afraid that one of your kids will tell you they’re gay. Fear because I have gay friends and I know that they hadn’t always experienced things well, often because they didn’t have caring parents. I did not want my child to be confronted with an environment where he could not fully live his experiences. After my time in “Drag Race France”, I can say that I am no longer afraid of that. Mindsets are changing.
Since the shooting, I attended several drag shows (I had never seen any before) and I realize that I have a certain level of requirement (laughs). I can’t wait to be able to talk about it with the teammates of the Festive Roosters because most of them are not aware. I wonder how the viewing will go. I also can’t wait to see the reaction of my children. My 3 year old toddler will probably ask questions. My 7-year-old is aware, I told him about it. We watched season 2 together, it allows me to prepare them for what is going to happen, to be ready to answer their questions. »