Drag Royalty Only: Why the Only Kings and Queens We Need Do Drag

The Power of Chosen Royalty

Drag kings and queens are not crowned by birthright; they are elevated by talent, community, and sheer hard work. Their titles are forged through dedication: hours spent sewing garments, painting faces, crafting jokes, memorising lyrics, perfecting character work, and building a space where others feel welcome. This is royalty that is chosen — not only by the performers themselves, but by audiences who recognise their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.

While monarchs inherit a role, drag performers embody one. They construct personas that challenge gender norms, question societal expectations, and blend theatre with identity. Their crowns aren’t handed down; they are handmade, sparkly, and often glued together ten minutes before the gig starts — and that’s precisely the point. They symbolise self-creation.

Republic Bristol, LGBTQIA+ For A Republic and Greens For A Republic members took part in the Bristol Pride march to say it loud and clear: drag royalty only!

A More Democratic Kingdom

Drag culture has its own form of monarchy, but it’s one built on community rather than class. Anyone, regardless of background, gender, sexuality or income, can enter the world of drag. You don’t need a pedigree or a palace — just passion, creativity, and perhaps a tolerance for glitter that never truly washes out.

Even within drag’s competitive edges — pageants, lip-sync battles, online fandom — there’s an openness lacking in traditional hierarchies. There is room for newcomers, experimentation, reinvention, and self-expression. Drag royalty is accessible, diverse, and ever-evolving, mirroring the society many people want to live in.

A Crown with a Message

Drag royalty carries cultural weight that extends far beyond entertainment. Drag kings and queens have historically acted as activists, educators, and community leaders. Their stages have become safe spaces for queer joy, protest, political commentary, and solidarity.

When a drag performer wears a crown, it is often paired with a message: celebrate difference, question norms, reject shame, and embrace identity. Their reign is not symbolic of centuries-old power structures, but of liberation and resistance.

Why This “Royalty” Matters Now

In a world wrestling with inequality, stale traditions, and institutional mistrust, drag offers a refreshing alternative form of admiration. It rewards innovation, humour, vulnerability, and courage. It champions the idea that greatness can come from anywhere — not just from a family tree with its own Wikipedia page.

Drag invites us to celebrate the royals who:

-earn their status through creativity

-uplift their communities

-turn pain into performance

-break rules rather than enforce them

-bring people together through laughter and spectacle

These are the crowns that matter: the ones sparkling under a spotlight, not locked behind palace gates.

Long Live the Kings and the Queens

To say “the only kings and queens we need do drag” is not merely a criticism of traditional monarchy; it’s an affirmation of a world where identity is chosen, voices are amplified, and royalty is accessible to anyone willing to step onto the stage.

In the end, the future belongs not to inherited crowns, but to glittering ones — the ones that slip slightly as their wearer drops into a death drop, makes the room roar with laughter, or stands proudly as their most fabulous self.

Long live the drag kings and queens — the royalty we make, the royalty we celebrate, and the royalty we truly deserve.

Feeling inspired? The LGBTQIA+ For A Republic group in partnership with Greens For A Republic will be taking part in as many pride celebrations as possible in 2026.

Email us for the link to their Whatsapp group.

You can also get in touch via Instagram: @g4arepublic and @republicbristol