A Brief History of Drag with Shangela

Last week, a new season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” kicked off. The show has opened doors for many drag performers to sashay their way into mainstream culture and educate us on the art of drag. One of the most famous queens to grace the show’s stage: Shangela Laquifah Wadley (aka D.J. Pierce, when out of drag) — after RuPaul, one of the most influential drag performers in America.  We talk with Shangela about the history of drag, how it’s evolved, and how she’s using her spotlight — and her HBO show, “We’re Here” — to expand our ideas about who does drag and who it’s for. You’ll hear from: Shangela (aka D.J. Pierce), American drag Queen, reality TV star and actor Want more Skimm?  Sign up for our free daily newsletter Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Senior Producer and Host Bridget Armstrong. Produced by Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s senior director of audio is Graelyn Brashear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices