I am now at liberty to comment on the recent controversy surrounding my Libra advertisement.
My name is Sandee Crack. I am the drag queen you have all seen in the Libra commercial that has been shot down by some of the transgender community.
I would firstly like to state that I am in fact a gay man who dresses in drag as a performer. I have been doing so for many years and will continue to do so. I have never considered myself to be transgender and never will do.
When I was presented with the Libra commercial, I saw it as a great opportunity to participate in a positive step toward acceptance for drag queens and gay men among the wider community. Throughout the production process, Libra were sensitive, professional, and accepting of my needs as a drag queen and as a gay man. I never felt for one moment that I would be depicted as a trans woman, nor do I believe that I have been. We consciously kept my arm hair and chose strapless dresses to accentuate my broad shoulders, and if you look carefully, you will notice that my stubble is slightly visible. They also ensured that I looked much taller than the girl next to me. I was shown the ad prior to release, and I was thrilled with it. I have received enormous support from transgender, gay, and straight individuals from all over the world since the ad was released in New Zealand. I believe strongly that by putting a drag queen into the mainstream media, we are one step closer to acceptance, and this is something I am very proud to be part of.
Unfortunately, a small portion of the trans community has chosen to view the ad as a personal attack on their fight to be viewed as equal women within society. This is a fight I also feel strongly about and hope to help educate the wider community on. However, I feel hurt that representing myself as a drag queen on television and playing out a commonplace scenario in my life has lead to a clear "dragphobia" among some transgender individuals who wish to pull the plug on something that reflects true honesty about the life of a drag queen. A drag queen is a man in women's clothing, and if that offends a trans woman, I am afraid I cannot apologise, as by doing so, I would be apologising for being me.
I hope that the campaign goes on to air in Australia; it would be an enormous step forward for Australia and for the world.
This piece originally appeared on SandeeCrack.com.
Valerie Keefe: Libra Tampons, A Little Bit of Free Advice
Even if people knew it was a drag queen, the message was clear, real women menstruate and women who are too old, have a disorder, trans, or simply don't menstruate are not part of the gender. It's plain stupid, and I doubt you got praise from the LGBT community, if so, maybe just the LGB community.
That's the big thing for me, really. I've made jokes about not having a period but if someone seriously tells me I'm not a woman because I don't have one that's rather hurtful. :/
These are to ensure that the audience knew it was drag? Really? But that would imply that drag makes fun of women with less-feminine traits such as those. And that would make drag seem almost...misogynistic, a sort of gender blackface.
I'd also like to point out that those same traits are typically used (along with an Adam's apple and low voice, which weren't applicable here) to intentionally portray someone as transgender or transsexual in trans-as-punchline portrayals.
But, in light of the revelation that this commercial was drag, how is it any different from ABC's "Work It"? (answer: it's not). Every argument that is applicable to that hopefully ill-fated series is also applicable to drag portrayals such as this one used to promote tampons instead of whatever products ABC was hoping to sell.
There is nothing in your ad to differentiate yourself as a drag queen vs. a caricature of a trans woman, and to pretend that it's obvious and that you're being picked on out of "dragphobia" is pretty silly. If the ad had shown an obvious drag show, or had some other indication it would be different, but the ad takes place in a woman's restroom! Do you as a gay man use the women's restroom when you're in drag? Most gay men, drag queens or not, don't in my limited experience.
But moreover, the point of the commercial is you have to have to menstruate to be a woman. As a drag queen I can see why that doesn't bother you at all, but surely you can see how trans women would be upset.
Now in casting a gay man who has no problem dressing in drag I believe the people at Libra were trying to be accepting of the LGBT community, however we must realize that T is on the end of the acronym and that does kinda reflect how the trans community has become a bit of an afterthought. It's become evident in the laws around the western world that while sexual orientation is a protected status gender identity is not. A gay man would not say he has the same issues as a lesbian woman, so how can a gay man speak for a trans woman?
I and many others have said this before:- "Most gays just do not get trans women".
Thank you for the support you give your partner, it takes a very special person to offer this, for all too often transwomen are deserted by their partners just at the time they really need them.
Personally I feel that just placing the 'T' in an inclusive manner with LGB only serves to reinforce the idea with our cis brothers and sisters that somehow they are the same.
In my research I am beginning to see a change in the acronym by the use of LGB&T more often, only a small change but a change nevertheless.
Though it may have seemed to the producers and actors of the ad that it was clearly a joke about male-identified drag queens not being real girls, essentially everyone who has seen it has interpreted as just another of millions of jokes at the expense of transwomen.
No one was saying drag queens are offensive or should stop being awesome, but implying one feminine-expressing person is more of a girl than another because they can and need to use tampons is, as is implying that this difference is humorous. The intent of this ad, while seemingly wonderful, doesn't matter here, the effect it has on many real, live humans does.
It has to do with respecting the right of everone regardless of how they might appear different or how they might present themselves to the world.
I'm glad you did this commercial. I'm glad some folks found it funny. And yes, I'm glad it provoked a response. It's even fine for some to say they object to it and why. Nothing like a good "teaching moment". But if a a small portion of the trans community has chosen to view the ad as a personal attack by you or Libra then they need to get a grip. It's not fine to assume ill intentions where there's no evidence of such, or to make it personal.
Be yourself. The world needs more people to be out and proud of who they are.
This ad doesn't make things nearly as clear as you wish they were.
I have also recently started oral contraceptives, and the main reason I started them was because I get really bad menstrual symptoms. I am really excited that I'll only get my period every three months now!
I have a question for Sandra and other draq queens who, as Sandra said, would say, "I am in fact a gay man who dresses in drag as a performer," and would affirm, "I have never considered myself to be transgender and never will do."
Do you use women's restrooms when you are in drag or do you use men's? I know that at the local LGBT club, which I frequent, the draq queens who don't consider themselves to be transgender women but gay men use the men's room.
So I understand your feeling this was a positive thing for drag queens. But the reality that your character was using the women's room is what makes the commercial seem to be saying something about transgender women and not gay men who do drag for performances. I hope that you can thus see how this ad when understood to be about transgender women and not gay men becomes something that demeans us and degenderizes us. I hope you as a gay man can thus become more sensitive to our needs and be a true ally.
Thank you.