Lavenderism

In Japan during the times of shogunate, kabuki theater was targeted by the government for “Corrupting public morals” and “Being sexualized.” Sound familiar? Kabuki theater was also adapted and changed due to a series of bans put on Japanese society by the government and evolved in response. Sound familiar? Despite this, the performances of kabuki are so influential that the images associated with them have influenced the society of the country to the point you can see influences in modern pop culture from Japan to this day. Even foreigners are able to recognize the iconic imagery of kabuki and associate it with that country.

If we understand drag to be significant enough in society for political extremists and religious fundamentalists to have problems with it, then why is it not considered significant? And if it is a type of art theater performance and a form of self expression then why is it not considered heritage or of cultural value? The stigma put onto it seems to cause many opponents of it to try and make it disappear for impractical moralistic reasons. The intangible culture of drag shows must be protected from those who seek to destroy it, and recognition should be granted to these types of performances so they can be protected and preserved. This type of performance has influenced mainstream trends and humor already, so any attempts to stop it will inevitably be futile and ineffective and only serve to show the incompetence of the regime.