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Sasha Velour: Is drag "dangerous"?

In this episode, Dua Lipa sits down with Sasha Velour, the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 9, to explore the rich history and cultural significance of drag. Sasha discusses her new book, 'The Big Reveal', and shares her insights on the art form's ancient roots, its current challenges, and the importance of community and authenticity.
Sasha Velour defines drag as a joyful performance of gender that offers freedom, tracing its history back 15,000 years to ancient theater and shamanism. She wrote 'The Big Reveal' to correct misinformation and highlight drag's global roots. Sasha contrasts her soft off-stage personality with her powerful drag persona, which emerged organically and helped her feel invincible. She is open to returning to Drag Race for an all-winners season, seeing it as a platform for growth. Sasha navigates the tension between art and commerce, defending drag against accusations of obscenity and emphasizing that Drag Queen Story Hour is child-friendly. She advises tuning out hate and finding strength in community, noting the over 400 anti-trans and anti-drag bills in the US and the need for cultural change and legal protections for gender expression.
02:59
02:59
Drag is the joyful, imaginative performance of gender
06:06
06:06
Performance as a spiritual and transformative experience
15:56
15:56
Drag helped me feel invincible.
22:51
22:51
Misinformation fuels the backlash against drag.
26:25
26:25
Drag rejects rigid gender norms and promotes self-expression.