The contestants of the first Canadian Drag Race.
Matt Barnes
How Ru Paul’s Drag Race turned an underground anti-capitalist art form into a lucrative multifaceted mainstream industry
Participants strut their stuff at Miss Gay Western Cape.
André-Pierre du Plessis/Flickr
There were secretive, intimate spaces in South Africa during the 1950s that paved the way for modern drag pageants.
Gayle started life as a language spoken by gay men. But its use has shifted over time.
EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
Gayle remains as popular as ever – but it has evolved, shifted and become a language spoken by more than just gay men.