Act Up You Can Get Snatched Up: Crystal LaBeija in The Queen (1968)
June 7, 2021
Somewhere in Virginia 1988. Of all the gifts I have inherited from my parents two have really helped me survive: my father’s razor sharp wit/way with words and my mom’s zero patience for disrespect. We often joke that I was the weapon they probably never intended to make. A younger me wanted so desperately to be liked that I would put up with things, people, and situations that were disrespectful to me, to my time, and to my experiences. With age and wisdom, I have appreciated the fact that sometimes you just need to gather folks, if only to let them know that I am not the one and we are not the two. I have also learned that respectability and civility are not my birthright, those are words not necessarily built for me or folks who look like me. As we navigate the ongoing (and exhausting) conversations around who and what prides are for (Kink, not cops and corporates), I am reminded how our black trancestors did not rely on being respectful or civil. Rather they embraced the gifts that were also their birthright: razor-sharp wit, zero patience for disrespect, and a world-building rage. The 1968 documentary The Queen is a cult classic documentary that shadows drag contestants competing in the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest. In all honesty, I couldn’t care less about the other 66 minutes of the documentary. It’s the 2 minutes of Crystal LaBeija dragging the corrupt organizers and contestants for me. It’s her aggressively complimenting Harlow (the winner) while eviscerating her makeup for me. It’s the unabashed confidence for me. It’s the black queer excellence for me. Crystal knows herself, her brand, and, clearly, her worth. Though she lost the pageant, she built an iconic house (The House of Labeija) and managed to be the only memorable/interesting thing in that documentary. She is a reminder that you don’t have to take the world’s shit. You don’t owe it your civility or graciousness, particularly when it has never done you the kindness of showing you the same. Rather than put up and shut up, Crystal should teach us that any disrespect is unacceptable and that it ought to come at the price of getting snatched bald.
The 1968 documentary The Queen is a cult classic documentary that shadows drag contestants competing in the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest. In all honesty, I couldn’t care less about the other 66 minutes of the documentary. It’s the 2 minutes of Crystal LaBeija dragging the corrupt organizers and contestants for me. It’s her aggressively complimenting Harlow (the winner) while eviscerating her makeup for me. It’s the unabashed confidence for me. It’s the black queer excellence for me. Crystal knows herself, her brand, and, clearly, her worth. Though she lost the pageant, she built an iconic house (The House of Labeija) and managed to be the only memorable/interesting thing in that documentary. She is a reminder that you don’t have to take the world’s shit. You don’t owe it your civility or graciousness, particularly when it has never done you the kindness of showing you the same. Rather than put up and shut up, Crystal should teach us that any disrespect is unacceptable and that it ought to come at the price of getting snatched bald.
