Gingerbeer King in Metro Newspaper

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‘Working with Lisa and getting her dragged up was great.  She was really interested in Drag King culture (in its many, many varieties) as well as the dressing up.'

 

 

 

Lenna Cumberbatch as Leon DaLuva - picture courtesy of Kristen Harrison


Gingerbeer editorial volunteer, Lenna Cumberbatch, recently took part in a ‘dragging up' experiment in which she tutored Metro newspaper reporter, Lisa Scott, into becoming a Drag King for the day.

The ‘dragging up’ process is one which transforms a female into looking like a male (pretty much the opposite of a drag queen). For Lisa, it was involved and included her, under Lenna’s instruction, donning a shirt, tie, hat, a fake moustache and drawn-on side burns. If Lenna had her way the look would have been entirely complete with a rolled up t-shirt stuffed down Lisa’s trousers for added effect - ahem.

Lisa’s breasts were strapped down and then there came the coaching from Lenna, on how to walk the walk. Apparently Lisa ‘moved too much like a girl’.

The experiment seemed to be a success. Lisa’s report states that ‘a man moved out of the way’ to allow her into the men’s toilets, for the first time in her life.

Of course we couldn’t expect anything but success from this experiment. For Lenna, 33, is an expert in Drag King culture, having studied female masculinity and gender differences at university.

She said: ‘Working with Lisa and getting her dragged up was great.  She was really interested in Drag King culture (in its many, many varieties) as well as the dressing up,

‘This has been a really good opportunity for raising the profile of drag kings all over.  Most people don't know what a Drag King is but Drag Kings deserve recognition and I think this will help it get out to a bigger audience.’

  

Lenna frequently drags up and performs at various Drag King shows as well as running workshops on how to dress and act like a male.

She states in the Metro article: 'Dressing as a man is very freeing because it allows me to act however I want. When I am dressed as a bloke, I don't need permission to do anything.’

One drag character she plays is slick Leon DaLuva. She explained: ‘When I walk down the street dressed as Leon I don't get a second look,

drag_king.jpg‘But when I am myself people are confused because I am quite masculine. I am used to people shouting out “dyke”.'

Lenna also runs King of the Castle, a Drag King competition night, where, she states: 'Most acts are playful while other kings are very sexual – they wear strap-ons and simulate sex.'

For more information, contact events@lennaland.com or see www.lennaland.com/castle.
See our listings section for further Gingerbeer info.

Above picture: Dred - a mentor of Lenna's in her young Drag King days.