INTERVIEW | Drag queens Carmen Rose and Just Acne were among eight others featured in a recent music video alongside cosmetics entrepreneur Vida.
The music video, which showcased a Hari Raya-themed track by the cosmetics entrepreneur entitled ‘Muah Muah Raya’, elicited the concern of some netizens as it was perceived to be “promoting” the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual plus (LGBT+) culture.
The “plus” is an inclusive term for people who don’t fit into traditional categories of gender or sexuality, including queer, questioning, intersex, asexual people, and others who are not specifically identified.
Since it was uploaded onto YouTube last month, Vida, whose real name is Hasmiza Othman, and music video director Kel Wen have confirmed that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had called them up for questioning for uploading the video on their social media accounts.
In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, Carmen Rose and Just Acne said that they both knew what they were getting themselves into when taking part in the video as they understood the demographics of Vida’s audience.
For the purpose of safeguarding their personal identities, both wished to be identified by their stage names. The pronouns “she” for Carmen and “They” for Just Acne.
“We all knew what the consequences were, and that’s why we took the job. We knew we were going to get backlash, but we’re also going to use that opportunity (to our own advantage).
“I know she’s using us. We’re so aware of that, but I wish she could stand up for us - instead of trying to go back to the old way of saying, ‘Oh, I don’t support them’ publicly.
“So, that’s why we had to stand up for ourselves,” said Carmen Rose.
This was echoed by Just Acne, who understood that Vida’s response to the criticism came from her stance as an entrepreneur.
“For me, I’m glad Vida took us in because someone has to do (it), and she has a big platform.
“Where are the liberal artists? They never approach us.
“For us, yes, we (have) started something (for) the future where other artists (can now) reach out to us, so it is exposure. Other people see it as a bad exposure - but for us, it is exposure,” said Carmen Rose, who is a freelance graphic designer when not performing.
Carmen Rose began her stint in drag ten years ago when the performance art was not as recognised - even within the local LGBT+ community.
“I started doing drag in 2012. At that time, I wasn’t out in public, so it was very a private thing, more experimental. I started because I was exploring my gender at first.
“I thought I might be trans, but I found out later that I identify as non-binary,” she said.
For Just Acne, their introduction to the world of drag came about through their interest in makeup and a performance background when they were still in school.
Their first performance took place as a favour to a close friend and local musician, Alextbh, who was touring locally and internationally.
“I would say, (drag is) kind of like theatre for me, but then you have instant gratification from the audience, and you get to interact with the audience - whereas, in theatre, you can’t really interact with the audience.
“I really like performing, and that was how I got into it,” said Just Acne, who works as a content creator and makeup artist alongside their career as a drag queen.
Misconceptions on drag
Drawing on their personal experiences, she said that many in the country still misunderstood drag despite the popularity of shows such as Ru Paul’s Drag Race in recent years.
“A trans person can do drag, but drag is not a gender identity. It’s just performance art.
“It’s like exaggerated makeup and whatnot. (Being) trans is gender identity. It is something they live through every day. It’s not a performance; it’s who they are. Drag is more like performance art,” she said.
“In Malaysia, I think a lot of people get confused with that because the moment you do drag, they automatically think you’re trans because I saw people commenting, and they thought we were trans,” she added.
Anyone and everyone can do drag, said Carmen Rose, as long as you respect and understand the history and the culture where it came from.
The word “transgender” – shortened to “trans” – acts as an umbrella term for those whose gender identity varies from the sex assigned at birth.
Identifying oneself as a transgender individual refers to a personal gender identity as well as a lasting sense of self.
Meanwhile, “drag” is a temporary and performative expression of gender.
Media coverage of drag in Malaysia
Both drag artists felt that in the aftermath of the video, there was a misunderstanding of the local drag community - which they attribute partly to the media.
They explained that the clickbait and tear-jerker nature of headlines on issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community only served to further instil fear and self-hatred against those in the community.
“Growing up, we always saw something negative about LGBT people. What about the positive things we’re doing? We want (the) younger generation to read like, ‘Oh, they’re doing something’.
“We’ve been told by our family, our school, that what we do, who we are, is wrong. We don’t need that from the media to make it worse,” added Carmen Rose.
She pointed out that while many had attempted to portray the life of a drag queen as being unsafe in Malaysia, there still is a way to perform in a safe environment with the right audience.
Just Acne added that their intention was never to influence people to be gay.
“We just want them to enjoy the art. Also, you can’t influence someone to be gay!” they said.
Hasmiza said the music video was meant for entertainment but instead faced a complaint accusing her of promoting the LGBT+ community.
Hasmiza said the music video titled ‘Muah Muah Raya’ should only be taken as entertainment.- Mkini
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