Queen (gay slang)
Encyclopedia
In gay slang
, queen is a term used to refer to flamboyant or effeminate gay men. The term can either be pejorative or celebrated as a type of self-identification.
A drag queen
is a person, usually a man, who dresses, and usually acts, like a woman
often for the purpose of entertaining or performing. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly from professionals who have starred in movies to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and can vary even within the same city. Although many drag queens are presumed to be gay
men or transgender
people, there are drag artists of all genders and sexualities who do drag for various reasons.
Generally, drag queens dress in a female gender role
, often exaggerating certain characteristics for comic, dramatic or satirical effect. Other drag performers include drag king
s, who are women who perform in male roles, faux queens, who are women who dress in an exaggerated style to emulate drag queens and faux kings, who are men who dress to impersonate drag kings.
The term drag queen usually refers to people who dress in drag for the purpose of performing, whether singing or lip-synching
, dancing, participating in events such as gay pride parade
s, drag pageants, or at venues such as cabaret
s and discotheques. In the United Kingdom
, alongside traditional drag work such as shows and performances, many drag queens engage in 'mix-and-mingle' or hosting work at night clubs or at private parties/events.
Drag is a part of Western gay culture
; it is often noted that the Stonewall riots
on June 27, 1969 in New York City were inspired and led by drag queens, and, in part for this reason, drag queens remain a tradition at pride events. Prominent drag queens in the gay community of a city often serve as official or unofficial spokespersons, hosts or emcees, fund-raisers, chroniclers and community leaders.
men. The term is considered gay slang
and depending on the context, may be considered derogatory and offensive internationally.
The term rice king is used to describe heterosexual males who seek Asian women. Yellow fever denotes the attraction certain non-Asian individuals may have for Asian men or women. Sticky rice refers to Asian males who prefer other Asian males.
-speaking gay community to refer to a person, usually a White
male, who is primarily attracted to Hispanic
and Latino
males. One source describes these as "Gay men who are attracted to gentlemen of the Latino flava."
The term is probably derived from the better-established term "rice queen", substituting the rice
that forms the basis of the Asian diet with the bean
s or rice and beans
popular throughout Central America
, South America
and the Caribbean
. Other food-based variations such as taco queen, salsa queen and so on are also heard occasionally.
Refried beans refers to Hispanic and Latino men who prefer other Hispanic and Latino men.
Much less frequently, these terms are used to describe gay Latino males themselves.
is a traditional middle eastern chick pea based dip.
. Depending on the context, the term may be considered derogatory and offensive internationally
Mashed potato is also used to refer to Caucasian men who prefer Caucasian men.
"Fruit salad" refers to gay men who don't have a racial preference in their sex partners.
bearing the same name.
A.K.A. A Coal Queen
A.K.A. A Dinge Queen
term for gay men who love opera
.
The term inspired the title of the book The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire
by Wayne Koestenbaum
, and opera queens are, more generally, the subject of Mawrdew Czgowchwz by James McCourt.
use or those looking for a more lithe physique. Although body building and male physique magazines were popular before the 1970s, the Castro clone look - workboots, jeans, tight white t-shirt, shorter well kept hair, and a well-muscled physique - became widely known and emulated in the 1970s and 1980s replacing the hippie
artictic constructs and fashions.
term for the dominant member of a group of gay men. It is normally synonym
ous with the phrase "bitch". It is unclear whether the term is taken from the term applied to the leader of a female social group
or literally from the insect world
.
and Parker Tyler
: "While waiting Karel wet his hair and put his handkerchief smeared with mascara behind a pipe. You still look like a queen Frederick said..."
song from 1970 , "Top of the Pops", contains the line: "I've been invited to a dinner with a prominent queen...", and may be one of the earliest recorded examples of this usage. Their 1966 song "Little Miss Queen of Darkness" may be an even earlier reference, though more ambiguous in its possible description of a drag queen "accidentally met" in a discotheque, whose "false eyelashes/ were not much of a disguise..." and who was "not all that it might seem..."
Gay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
, queen is a term used to refer to flamboyant or effeminate gay men. The term can either be pejorative or celebrated as a type of self-identification.
Drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
is a person, usually a man, who dresses, and usually acts, like a woman
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
often for the purpose of entertaining or performing. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly from professionals who have starred in movies to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and can vary even within the same city. Although many drag queens are presumed to be gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men or transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people, there are drag artists of all genders and sexualities who do drag for various reasons.
Generally, drag queens dress in a female gender role
Gender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...
, often exaggerating certain characteristics for comic, dramatic or satirical effect. Other drag performers include drag king
Drag king
Drag kings are mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of their performance. A typical drag king routine may incorporate dancing and singing, live as in the Momma's Boyz of San Francisco's performances or lip-synching...
s, who are women who perform in male roles, faux queens, who are women who dress in an exaggerated style to emulate drag queens and faux kings, who are men who dress to impersonate drag kings.
The term drag queen usually refers to people who dress in drag for the purpose of performing, whether singing or lip-synching
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
, dancing, participating in events such as gay pride parade
Gay pride parade
Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
s, drag pageants, or at venues such as cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
s and discotheques. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, alongside traditional drag work such as shows and performances, many drag queens engage in 'mix-and-mingle' or hosting work at night clubs or at private parties/events.
Drag is a part of Western gay culture
Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures
Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures are subcultures and communities composed of persons who have shared experiences, background, or interests due to a common sexual or gender identity. Among the first to argue that members of sexual minorities can constitute cultural minorities as well as...
; it is often noted that the Stonewall riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
on June 27, 1969 in New York City were inspired and led by drag queens, and, in part for this reason, drag queens remain a tradition at pride events. Prominent drag queens in the gay community of a city often serve as official or unofficial spokespersons, hosts or emcees, fund-raisers, chroniclers and community leaders.
Rice queen
A rice queen is usually a Gay Male who prefers or exclusively dates AsianAsian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
men. The term is considered gay slang
Gay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
and depending on the context, may be considered derogatory and offensive internationally.
The term rice king is used to describe heterosexual males who seek Asian women. Yellow fever denotes the attraction certain non-Asian individuals may have for Asian men or women. Sticky rice refers to Asian males who prefer other Asian males.
Bean queen
Bean queen or rice and bean Queen are terms used in the EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking gay community to refer to a person, usually a White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
male, who is primarily attracted to Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
and Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
males. One source describes these as "Gay men who are attracted to gentlemen of the Latino flava."
The term is probably derived from the better-established term "rice queen", substituting the rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
that forms the basis of the Asian diet with the bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s or rice and beans
Rice and beans
Rice and beans is a very popular dish in Latin America, the Caribbean, and in communities of Latino, Caribbean or Sephardic...
popular throughout Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Other food-based variations such as taco queen, salsa queen and so on are also heard occasionally.
Refried beans refers to Hispanic and Latino men who prefer other Hispanic and Latino men.
Much less frequently, these terms are used to describe gay Latino males themselves.
Hummus queen
A 'hummus queen' is a gay/bisexual man, who prefers or exclusively dates middle eastern men. At times this can also include men of Greek decent. HummusHummus
Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the...
is a traditional middle eastern chick pea based dip.
Potato queen
A potato queen is a person, who prefers or exclusively dates Caucasian men. Often, but not always, it is a younger Asian man who dates older white men. The name could be considered gay slangGay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
. Depending on the context, the term may be considered derogatory and offensive internationally
Mashed potato is also used to refer to Caucasian men who prefer Caucasian men.
"Fruit salad" refers to gay men who don't have a racial preference in their sex partners.
Dairy queen
A dairy queen is a black or Hispanic male who prefers or exclusively dates caucasian men. They are also known as snow queens. The phrase probably nods to the chain of restaurantsDairy Queen
Dairy Queen, often abbreviated DQ, is a chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc, who also owns Orange Julius and Karmelkorn. The name "Dairy Queen" is taken from the name of their soft serve product, which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or...
bearing the same name.
Chocolate queen
A chocolate queen is a white male who prefers or exclusively dates black men.A.K.A. A Coal Queen
A.K.A. A Dinge Queen
Size queen
A size queen is a gay male who prefers or exclusively dates or has sex with men who have large penises or large build.Opera queen
Opera queen is a gay slangGay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
term for gay men who love opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
The term inspired the title of the book The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire
The Queen's Throat
The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality and the Mystery of Desire is a 1993 book by American cultural critic Wayne Koestenbaum. In it, Koestenbaum explores the relationship between gay men and opera, with frequent reference to his own experiences...
by Wayne Koestenbaum
Wayne Koestenbaum
Wayne Koestenbaum is an American poet and cultural critic. He received a B.A. from Harvard University, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. from Princeton University...
, and opera queens are, more generally, the subject of Mawrdew Czgowchwz by James McCourt.
Gym queen
Gym queen refers to gay men who are into body building and working out either to bulk up and may include steroidSteroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
use or those looking for a more lithe physique. Although body building and male physique magazines were popular before the 1970s, the Castro clone look - workboots, jeans, tight white t-shirt, shorter well kept hair, and a well-muscled physique - became widely known and emulated in the 1970s and 1980s replacing the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
artictic constructs and fashions.
Chicken queen
A chicken queen is a person, who prefers or exclusively dates men younger than he is.Queen Bee
Queen Bee is a gay slangGay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
term for the dominant member of a group of gay men. It is normally synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
ous with the phrase "bitch". It is unclear whether the term is taken from the term applied to the leader of a female social group
Queen bee (subculture)
A queen bee is the leader of a female group, a clique's leader, usually a popular young lady. Characteristics often associated to her are a pleasant appearance, charisma, skill in manipulation, and monetary power. She is sometimes portrayed as the Head Cheerleader, Prom Queen, Homecoming Queen,...
or literally from the insect world
Queen bee
The term queen bee is typically used to refer to an adult, mated female that lives in a honey bee colony or hive; she is usually the mother of most, if not all, the bees in the hive. The queens are developed from larvae selected by worker bees and specially fed in order to become sexually mature...
.
In literature
An early example of this usage in mainstream literature occurs in the 1933 novel "The Young and the Evil" by Charles Henri FordCharles Henri Ford
Charles Henri Ford was an American poet, novelist, filmmaker, photographer, and collage artist best known for his editorship of the Surrealist magazine View in New York City, and as the partner of the artist Pavel Tchelitchew...
and Parker Tyler
Parker Tyler
Harrison Parker Tyler, better known as Parker Tyler was an American author, poet, and film critic. Tyler had a relationship with underground filmmaker Charles Boultenhouse from 1945 until his death...
: "While waiting Karel wet his hair and put his handkerchief smeared with mascara behind a pipe. You still look like a queen Frederick said..."
In music
The KinksThe Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
song from 1970 , "Top of the Pops", contains the line: "I've been invited to a dinner with a prominent queen...", and may be one of the earliest recorded examples of this usage. Their 1966 song "Little Miss Queen of Darkness" may be an even earlier reference, though more ambiguous in its possible description of a drag queen "accidentally met" in a discotheque, whose "false eyelashes/ were not much of a disguise..." and who was "not all that it might seem..."