Carmella Marcella Garcia and Charlie Brown are two of the best queens to ever grace any stage. The Bluegrass State of Kentucky certainly knows how to produce the best queens!
Not in the least. That's a really shallow comment and I apologize when I ask what rock you've been living under? I can understand somewhat depending on where you live and how old you are, because it's very difficult to designate a "golden age" of drag with it having been such a large part of certain communities in the past; it's surely difficult to top an era when a beloved performer made a huge impact (as is the case with Mr. Charlie Brown). Though many will argue it was never a goal, drag is now about as mainstream as I personally think it can be in our lifetimes. _RuPaul's Drag Race_ is now a worldwide phenomenon, with international franchises of the show numbering more than twenty-five. But perhaps the best indication of its popularity is the political backlash currently facing drag artists all over the country. It's visible enough that it's being used as a scapegoat for politicians who want to take the spotlight off the firearms issues. Sadly, it's worked. But you also made a specification that needs addressing: You said the _gay community_ don't care anymore. I can understand that; it was true for years. I work at a nightclub in the Midwest and our drag shows regularly pulled in capacity crowds that were predominantly heterosexual. Drag has long been a fixture of the LGBTQ community. It's the straight audiences that were much more fascinated by its mystique. I don't know if that's the case today, though. Go into any gay bar (if that's even still a specification) when _RuPaul's Drag Race_ is airing, and I guarantee you if there's not a "viewing party," everyone's watching the show like it's the SuperBowl. As for local shows today, with the rise of RuPaul's reality TV competition, there is an entire industry that's popped up to serve drag artists like never before. It's much easier today for queens to meet each other via social media and you can learn just about every facet of how it's done on RU-vid. Thus, queens are starting much younger and are virtually professional-level when they walk into their local bars at 21. Costuming and supplies are more accessible, as are tutorials. Put plain and simple, right now will likely be almost unanimously considered "Drag's Golden Age" in the future.
