Baker A. Rogers, "King of Hearts: Drag Kings in the American South" (Rutgers UP, 2021)
In this episode of the Queer Voices of the South podcast, John Marszalek interviews author Baker A. Rogers about their research on drag kings in the South and about their own experience performing as a drag king.\nWhile drag subcultures have gained mainstream media attention in recent years, the main focus has been on female impersonators. Equally lively, however, is the community of drag kings: cis women, trans men, and non-binary people who perform exaggerated masculine personas onstage under such names as Adonis Black, Papi Chulo, and Oliver Clothesoff.\nKing of Hearts: Drag Kings in the American South\xa0(Rutgers UP, 2021) shows how drag king performers are thriving in an unlikely location: Southern Bible Belt states like Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. Based on observations and interviews with sixty Southern drag kings, this study reveals how they are challenging the region\u2019s gender norms while creating a unique community with its own distinctive Southern flair. Reflecting the region\u2019s racial diversity, it profiles not only white drag kings, but also those who are African American, multiracial, and Hispanic.\nThe Queer Voices of the South podcast encouragers listeners to suggest authors they would like to hear us interview. Follow us on\xa0Twitter @voices_south or in the public group\xa0Queer Voices of the South\xa0on Facebook or email us at queervoicesofthesouth@gmail.com\nBaker A. Rogers is an associate professor of sociology at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. Baker is the author of\xa0Conditionally Accepted: Christians\u2019 Perspectives on Sexuality and Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights\xa0(Rutgers University Press) and\xa0Trans Men in the South: Becoming Men.\nJohn Marszalek III is author of\xa0Coming Out of the Magnolia Closet: Same-Sex Couples in Mississippi\xa0(2020, University Press of Mississippi).\xa0He is clinical faculty of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Southern New Hampshire University. Website: Johnmarszalek3.com Twitter: @marsjf3\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies