5 questions for a drag queen

Chad, who wanted to go by his first name or stage name, is an active promoter and member of IU’s OUT program. He holds a full time job and plans to go into the retail field. Chad was crowned the 2009 Miss Gay IU, IU’s main drag queen pageant, under the name Chanel Cartier.

Q: What is drag for you, an activity or a lifestyle?
A: It’s something I’d really like to excel in as a hobby and an art form. It’s something I do outside of my normal day job. Not everyone knows who I am as a boy and as a girl, and I like to keep it that way. I don’t usually openly divulge both because some people don’t perceive it the right way and won’t take me the way that they should.

Q: How did you get involved in Miss Gay IU?
A: I became involved through IU’s OUT club. I was supposed to choreograph for one of the queens competing in 2008, and she backed out. I last-minute decided to replace her. It was my first time on the stage ever, and it was an absolute disaster. But I worked really hard, came back this year, and won. It was great.

Q: Do you think it is harder being a drag queen or a drag king?
A: I respect every drag king and every drag queen I’ve ever met. It takes a lot out of you either way. There’s a lot of pain and binding involved with drag kings. Drag queens have a little bit of discomfort, but it’s nothing compared to a female. It’s easier to build than to compress.

Q: How do strangers react when they find out that you’re a drag queen?
A: A lot of people can stand next to you in a dark room and not realize until you talk. But when they do realize, sometimes it isn’t pretty.

Q: If there was one thing you could tell outsiders about your lifestyle, what would it be?
A: Chanel and Chad are one unit. I want everybody to understand that no matter who you identify yourself as, and no matter what you do, you are who you are and who you live your life as.