RuPaul’s Drag Race has forged a path into mainstream culture for the drag and LGBTQIA+ communities like no other show has. Since airing in 2009, the show has picked up nine Emmys, launched or catapulted the careers of more than 100 queens, and has spawned the bicoastal event RuPaul’s DragCon. Split between Los Angeles and New York City, DragCon has become the mecca for all things drag–for all kinds of people. According to demographics from DragCon LA 2018, attendees were 60% female, 40% male; 38% gay, 38% straight, 24% other; and 55% were under the age of 30–and DragCon NYC, which took place over this past weekend, was no different.
“This is a business. It’s all about ratings and demographics, and those sort of stats on a sheet. But to actually meet people and to see the extent of diversity kind of defies all those demographics. That’s been the real learning curve,” said Fenton Bailey, cofounder of DragCon and Drag Race production company World of Wonder in a previous interview with Fast Company. “I truly believe that drag is universally relatable. It doesn’t mean that everyone has to be a drag queen, but I think it’s something that everybody can enjoy. It’s just so exciting to see an audience feel that they have permission to enjoy it and to participate.”
Check out photos from DragCon NYC 2018 below.
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