Drag Queens: Not the Same as Pedophiles

I’ve been around both, and trust me, they are not the same

Wendy Miller
6 min readMar 20, 2023
Photo: Pablo Merchan via diversifylens

My favorite uncle was gay. I’ve grown up with gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer family and friends. I’ve known drag queens and thoroughly enjoyed their shows. For me, these things are as natural as anything else in the world.

My best friend lived next door when I was around 10 or 11. I frequently spent the night at her house, giggling about boys and getting annoyed together at her younger brother and sister. The sleepovers stopped — as did all other time spent at her house — when her stepfather decided one day to rub the breasts I was just beginning to get. I don’t remember what he said to me, but I remember knowing this wasn’t right. I remember telling my mother, though I don’t recall her reaction.

To be clear, my friend’s stepfather identifies as straight at that time and to this day. And he’s never dressed in drag.

The threat you think you see is not the threat.

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As women, we often talk about the dangers we face. We talk about how we can’t walk down dark alleys alone at night or alone anywhere at night. We talk about unwanted advances from men who won’t go away. We discuss…

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