UC Davis

This thesis undertakes a comparative reading of the two reality television competition series Drag Race Thailand (DRT) and RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR). Drawing insights from Asian queer studies, this thesis attempts to negotiate the tension within gender studies as related to contemporary debates around trans identity within the world of drag performance. Featuring drag performance and queer culture, Drag Race has become a transnational cultural phenomenon with the rapid international expansion of the Drag Race franchise in recent years, and DRT is the only Asian platform as of this writing. Following the interdisciplinary matrix of Asian queer studies, this thesis compares and contrasts the representation of drag on DRT and RPDR with particular focus on Season 2 and Season 9, respectively. Reading the two series together raises the question of why these two versions of Drag Race embody drag in different relations to transgenderism. This thesis further traces the problematic statements against trans drag queens on RPDR and sets this negative perspective against the very different operating structures of the Thai gender system. Under the common name of drag, gender formations on the two series diverge in fundamental ways as a result of their distinct history and gender epistemologies. Comparing the two series in the Drag Race franchise therefore defies the assumption of Westernizing homogenization in drag and queer culture, and DRT provides insights into the criticism of transwomen exclusion on RPDR. Through the comparative study, this thesis demonstrates the need for the critical reading of Asian drag and Asian queer culture apart from America-based theorization and the further exploration of comparative Drag Race studies.