Now being a Drag Queen's husband it goes without saying I attend a lot of drag shows. While attending these shows I start to make certain observations. One of my earliest ones was the "inner drag queen," read that entry to learn about it. A more recent observation I have made is what I'm calling "feed the queen". I'm referring to the way some audience members tip the queens.
If you have been to a drag show I'm sure you have seen this. It's those audience members who wave their dollar bills like they are tying to feed an animal at a petting zoo. All to get the attention of the drag queen, then when the queen comes to collect the tip they hold onto it all so their friend can take their picture with said queen.
I get it drag queens are fabulous and you want to share in their fabulousness, but please don't act like you are on safari in some Drag Wild Kingdom. Trust me Drag Queens LOVE to have their pictures taken and will be more than willing to have their picture taken with you. There is no reason to act like you are hunting "draggit". Tip them during the show and then after the show ask to have your picture taken. You'll end up getting a better picture with them.
The other version of "feed the queen" is the audience member who enjoys tipping the Queens with large bills. Knowing how expensive drag is trust me I'm all about this. Please tip with the largest bills you can afford. However there is no need to make a spectacle out of yourself so EVERY ONE in the audience knows you are tipping with a large bill. You will know these feeders when you see them. They take their large bill(s), normally a 20, but I have seen larger, and they wave it like a flag. This way not only the Queen will see what they are tipping but everyone in the general vicinity of where they are sitting will see as well. You should be tipping the Queens because well they deserve it and trust me they do. Not so you can be the center of attention or show everyone how much you tip.
The worst thing in my opinion about these types of "feeders" is they only tip the big named queens they don't tip all the other entertainers in the show. Yes I'm biased on this point being married to a lesser know Queen, but I honestly believe all the entertainers deserve to be tipped. It's a very small token of appreciation that goes an extremely long way towards making entertainers feel welcomed.
If you can't afford to tip then please feed the queen with applause. You have no idea how much audience reaction means to these girls. A lot of them feed off of it and the more you applaud and holler the better the performance you'll receive.
Remember the majority of Drag Queens aren't doing it for the money, trust me there isn't a lot involved. They are doing it for the love the art form. So when you feed them do so with respect.