Makeup is war paint for Anastasia Beasley, especially when they turn themselves into "a symbol of a man".
- Drag king Anastasia Beasley says there is a lot of interest in elevating drag kings to the level of drag queens
- Beasley says for them drag is a way to turn themselves into the "symbol of a man"
- Beasley says young people in the regions appreciate having LGBTQ role models
Beasley can be seen striding onto stage at youth dance parties, with a pencilled-in moustache, cardboard crown, the loud colours of their outfit stealing the crowd's attention.
"OK, alright, everyone having a good time tonight?" they call out.
Beasley said drag king and queens had the power to hold court in queer spaces and dance parties.
"Makeup is a little bit like war paint ... you feel more confident when you're your most extravagant self," they said.
"In dance spaces, it's a really important catalyst for sort of guiding the culture of a dance floor.
"As a king or a queen, you can be a holder of space, you can call people out if their behaviour is not OK and you can be a safe person for people to talk to."
While many Australians might associate drag style with drag queens at Broken Heel or RuPaul, Beasley said drag kings had not received nearly as much recognition, but that could be changing.
"I haven't seen kings elevated to the same status that I've seen queens elevated," they said.
"I guess that's because of the examples of drag in Australia. We take a lot from RuPaul's which is very queen-centred.
"It is a known challenge in the queer community that cis-white gay men tend to hold most of the positions of power, they tend to be the most visible and the most recognisable part of the queer community.
"But there's a lot of groundswell now to elevate kings, to elevate non-binary drag clowns or monarchs and to really acknowledge the full breadth of the queer community."
Beasley used drag at events when they worked at Dfaces in Whyalla, which held inclusive cultural events for children in the steel city, such as dances, movie screenings and more.
"Young people in the regions are already pretty aware of drag and queer artwork through online spaces, and I know it means a lot to them to have their own queer role models in their own town and to have structured ways to explore their identity and express themselves," they said.
Curious children could also approach Beasley for a drag questionnaire, a series of questions that would help figure out their drag name.
Beasley started getting into drag just over a year ago.
They said while many drag performers might spend years preparing their costume, their act, their persona, Beasley dove in headfirst with their first performance in the KickstART Festival, run by Propel Youth Arts WA.
Beasley's style is more cartoonish than some other kings.
"I call myself a drag king but I don't think I'm as kingy as some other kings out there," they said.
"They have very realistic makeup, realistic contours; sometimes they use real hair for their beards.
"I paint on the most ridiculous flat-looking purple moustache. I'm a symbol of a man rather than a man, so I guess I'm a king."
Beasley is now preparing to be part of an upcoming exhibition at the Science Gallery in Melbourne called Break the Binaries, which focuses on "bend, blend, blur or break society's binary codes".
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