As RuPaul has said, this is the Golden Age of Drag―and that’s chiefly the achievement of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which in its eleventh year is more popular than ever, and has now become fully mainstream in its appeal. The show has an irresistible allure for folks of all persuasions and proclivities. Yet serious or philosophical discussion of its exponential success has been rare.

Now at last we have RuPaul’s Drag Race and Philosophy, shining the light on all dimensions of this amazing phenomenon: theories of gender construction and identity, interpretations of RuPaul’s famous quotes and phrases, the paradoxes of reality shows, the phenomenology of the drag queen, and how the fake becomes the truly authentic. The book includes a ​foreword by the original "Gender Outlaw" Kate Bornstein.
"Listen up: the library is open, and you should open this book first because it is fierce. These smart, engaging, nuanced, and witty essays command the stage with eye-opening demonstrations of the relation of drag to philosophy. In lucid and compelling writing, the authors show how ideas such as simulacrum, speech-act theory, rationality, utility, game theory, authenticity and performance, being, the sublime, play, radical self-love and just plain love, are key to the art of living and to the pleasures of drag. It’s a kiki you don’t want to miss."
-Matthew Tinkcom, Georgetown University, author of Working Like a Homosexual: Camp, Capital, Cinema

"There’s Always Time For more conversation about the visibility of DRAG in mainstream! Cheers to everyone who lent their pen and passion to this project. I’m so proud that people of all ages are being challenged to love the child in their heart through the art form of Drag. Be it a controversial Drag Story Hour or through passionate philosophical arguments the idea boils down to being kind to ourselves and each other’s differences."
-Ms. Kasha Davis, RPDR Season 7

"Sissy That Thought sashays away from philosophy’s shortcomings. Written by fans, for fans, this book is a practical primer in partially de-cis-ified metaphysics. It’s a deep dive and a slip-n-slide ride through runaway runway metaphors and extravagant thot experiments that give Ru and the rest a run for their money. Funny without trying to one-up the Mother, it is a fitting tribute to the Mary Tyler Moore Show of the new millennium, a witticism-filled survey of a franchise more game-changing than Maude. Don’t miss the cherry on top (or bottom?—either way, readers win): they doll up iconic pontificators from Confucius to Foucault."
-Quinlan Miller, University of Oregon, author of Camp TV: Trans Gender Queer Sitcom History

"From Kempt and Volpert’s outstanding introductory essay to the priceless and hilarious philosopher trading cards that close this collection (Hegel’s drag name? Wine DeVine), the best of the contributions to this volume don’t simply apply philosophy to RuPaul but understand drag performance as intellectual work. Mama Ru would be proud indeed."
-Amy Villarejo, Cornell University, author of Ethereal Queer: Television, Historicity, Desire

How real is realness? Is reading moral? Is drag misogyny? Is it art? What kind of speech act is shade? What is authenticity? Where is the self? If Drag Race ever made you wonder about such questions, the contributors to this lively collection will help you answer them through a combination of philosophical acuity and a total command of every detail in the Ru-niverse.
-David Halperin, University of Michigan, author of How to be Gay

OPEN COURT, 2020
Among the thought-provoking issues examined in this path-breaking and innovative volume:
● What Should a Queen Do? Marta Sznajder looks at RuPaul’s Drag Race from the perspective of rationality. Where contestants have to eliminate each other, the prisoner’s dilemma and other well-known situations emerge.

● Reading Is Fundamental! Lucy McDonald analyzes two different, important speech acts that regularly appear on Drag Race―reading and throwing shade.

● The Values of Drag Race. Guilel Treiber observes two competing sets of values being presented in Drag Race. The more openly advertised “charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent,” advancing the skills of every single contender, are opposed by the fading set of “acceptance, support, solidarity, and empowerment,” which has historically been the cornerstone of the LGBTI+ community.

● The Importance of Being Fabulous. Holly Onclin challenges the preconceived notion that drag queens are mainly about female impersonation and instead proposes to understand drag queens as impersonators of celebrity.

● RuPaul Is a Better Warhol. Megan Volpert compares RuPaul and Andy Warhol in their shared pursuit of realness.

● Is Reading Someone to Filth Allowed? Rutger Birnie asks whether there are ethical restrictions on reading someone, since reads are ultimately insults and could cause harm.

● Serving Realness? Dawn Gilpin and Peter Nagy approach the concept of realness in Drag Race, to discuss the differences between realness, authenticity and the nature of being.

● Death Becomes Her. Hendrik Kempt explores the topic of death both in philosophy and in Drag Race, starting from the claim that “Philosophy is training for death.”
● Towards a Healthier Subjectivity? Ben Glaister looks at the way Drag Race contestants adopt their drag personae almost as second selves, without finding themselves violating their other self.

● RuPaul versus Zarathustra. Julie and Alice van der Wielen ask the question, Who would win an intellectual lip-sync battle―RuPaul or Nietzsche’s Zarathustra?

● Playing with Glitter? Fernando Pagnoni and pals explore the game and play elements of Drag Race.

● The Origins of Self-Love. Anna Fennell expounds upon RuPaul’s question, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”

● The Sublime. Sandra Ryan thinks about Kant’s concept of the sublime and explores how we find its applications in Drag Race.

● You Want to Be Anonymous? You Better Work! Alice Fox watches Drag Race through the lens of criminal law and the problem of decreasing anonymity through ubiquitous data surveillance. Drag Race can teach us how to create misleading patterns of online behavior and public presentation to render the blackbox persona useless.

● Drag and Vulnerability. Anneliese Cooper contrasts Drag Race’s demand for vulnerability and perceived authenticity with the inherent inauthenticity of creating a new persona.

● Fire Werk with Me. Carolina Are looks into the fan-subcultures of Drag Race and Twin Peaks, which have come together to form a unique sub-subculture, in which members of both fan-subcultures create memes and idiosyncrasies.

​● We’re All Born Naked. Oliver Norman follows up on Ru’s mantra, “We are all born naked and the rest is drag.”