The mass transit system in Chicago uses electric trains. The cars run on two normal tracks for the train wheels and an electrified third rail that supplies the power. I remember from little on being told by my parents to “never touch the third rail!”
Apparently I have “touched the third rail” with my blog posts about drag.
I have written a number of things on this blog that might be seen by some in the church as controversial. I am passionate about showing God’s love and grace to LGBTQ people and believe we let our personal prejudices and fears make it harder to do that than it should be. I don’t think anyone needs to compromise their doctrine or understanding of God’s Word to be kind and let God’s love predominate in their interactions with LGBTQ people. And I believe the “drag show” issue is a kind of a side issue that does not normally impact Christians and churches as they interact with LGBTQ people.
So imagine my shock when it was my posts on drag, written in response to questions I have been asked by other pastors, that prompted the harshest response from some people in my denomination! I won’t go into any detail, but let’s just say it has been an interesting week. And it wasn’t what I wrote as much as what people assumed I meant by what I wrote that got me in trouble. So let’s be clear:
- I do not believe there is anything inherently sinful in a person dressing up and pretending to be the opposite sex for entertainment purposes. I don’t think Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis were sinning when they did that in an old movie, or that modern drag performers are sinning when they do it for drag shows today.
- I believe ALL forms of entertainment can cross the line into sinful behavior and can promote things that are sinful. As a Christian there are movies I would not go and see, TV shows I will not watch, and drag shows I would not attend. But there are movies, TV shows, and drag shows that are fun and innocent as well.
- Most importantly, I am concerned that the present politicization and polarization over drag is going to catch some LGBTQ people in the crossfire and cause hurt and harm. For example, I know of a trans person who had been attending a church for almost a year with no backlash. Then a local bakery hit the news for hosting a drag brunch. Even though that trans person had nothing to do with the show that was happening, the controversy in the community made them feel unwelcome at the church. They stopped attending.
So why did my writing about drag become equivalent to stepping on the third rail? Why has it become such a polarizing issue in our society? And what can we as Christians learn about our own reaction to the subject? Let me share one last story…
A few months ago I was flying home on Southwest and sitting in my favorite aisle seat in the exit row. A young man came down the aisle and sat in the seat across from me. He was wearing flip flops with bright pink painted toenails. His finger nails matched and were about two inches long. His sweatpants were sitting low on his waist and his tee shirt was cut short to expose his midriff. His eyelashes were long and fake. Before sitting down he put an elaborate hat box in the overhead compartment. I later learned it contained his carefully curled pink wig.
My immediate reaction was a huge degree of discomfort. I mean, if there is a man on the face of this earth that would be my polar opposite, it would be my new neighbor across the aisle. I can’t imagine painting my toenails pink or wearing a wig. And trust me… you do not want to see my exposed midriff. I am ashamed to say I actually thought about giving up my extra leg room seat and moving further back in the plane. But I had already settled in so I stayed put.
He made eye contact with me (I may have been staring) and said, “How are you today, baby?” I’m not kidding. He called me “baby.” This was about to get really interesting.
So… we talked. His name was Steve and he was flying to Chicago to participate in a drag show. He was heading straight to the venue, which is why he was already partially in costume. His bag was too big to carry on, but there was no way he was checking his wig, so it was in the overhead compartment. He was originally from Chicago, but had been living in Florida. This was his first time back in years, and he was excited but also nervous.
I could see him tense up a bit when I told him I had been in Florida to speak at a pastors’ conference. But after a few more minutes he seemed to relax. I wish I could tell you we got into a deep spiritual discussion, or that he shared his life story and how he got involved with drag. But none of that happened. Our conversation was incredibly normal. We talked about the Cubs. We talked about the weather. I told him I loved to golf and was a member at a country club. He said, “Imagine me showing up to your country club, honey! Whoo boy!” (First “baby” then “honey.” LOL)
The flight attendant came by taking drink orders, and our conversation just kind of ended. He pulled out his book (the latest Tom Clancy novel) and I opened my iPad to start watching a movie. At the end of the flight we smiled at each other and I wished him luck at his performance. We headed off to our very different lives.
So what is my point? I think it is easy to imagine all kinds of things about people that are very different than us. The more different they are the harder it is to assume the best and not assume the worst. I certainly assumed any conversation on that flight would be awkward and uncomfortable. I never imagined he’d be a Cub fan named Steve who reads Tom Clancy novels. This fear of those who are different from us is what makes drag such a polarizing issue for Americans today.
As Christians we are called to something higher. If we are going to be able to share God’s love and grace with others, we have to be willing to do that with people who appear to be very different from us. We have to be willing to assume the best and not the worst. And we cannot let the politics and the polarization in the world around us creep into our theology or our care for others.
So back to the original question that prompted me to write these blog posts: How should a Christian react if there is a “family friendly drag brunch” scheduled in their community? Or a drag performer reading books to kids at the local library? Or a group of friends that invite them to go to a drag show? I honestly don’t know. I’d need a whole lot more information about the who, the how, and the why before I could answer that question. But I also know that whatever I say or do I should not assume the worst, I should be motivated by love and not fear, and I should always have the goal of helping all involved know that they are loved children of God.
(Jumping off the third rail now…)