Charles Pierce, by A. Loudermilk.

To celebrate LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari is publishing a daily series of LGBT Heroes, selected by the magazine’s team of writers and special contributors.

“The most famous Bette Davis impersonator in the world, he impersonated other stars too, like Mae West, Katherine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, bigger than life females who were, as Pierce often noted, ‘almost female impersonators themselves’.”

The Original Songs, and the Future of YouTube Drag.

In this 3-part series, A. Loudermilk writes about the drag queen YouTube videos that are as transgressive as they are outrageous. Part 3 looks at the drag queens singing original songs.

“The best of these videos tend to spoof the lowest common denominator through gross-out humor and absurdly extreme stereotypes. They nod, indirectly, at the reality of living in a commercial culture built on stereotyping.”

The Impact of the YouTube Parody.

In this 3-part series, A. Loudermilk writes about the drag queen YouTube videos that are as transgressive as they are outrageous. Part 2 looks at the impact of the YouTube drag parody video.

“The best of these videos tend to spoof the lowest common denominator through gross-out humor and absurdly extreme stereotypes. They nod, indirectly, at the reality of living in a commercial culture built on stereotyping.”

Divine Origins.

In this 3-part series, A. Loudermilk writes about the drag queen YouTube videos that are as transgressive as they are outrageous. The first part looks at how the origins of the drag queen video in the days before YouTube.

“The best of these videos tend to spoof the lowest common denominator through gross-out humor and absurdly extreme stereotypes. They nod, indirectly, at the reality of living in a commercial culture built on stereotyping.”