Sex, Drag, & Rock ‘n’ Roll: The San Francisco Drag King Contest

This is a world in which the poise of Martha Stewart could not save her from the slammer, so what good is poise anyway? The 12th annual San Francisco Drag King Contest rewards not poise but studliness and facial hair in an event described by impresario Fudgie Frottage as "a mash-up of the Miss America Pageant, American Idol, Halloween, and a Monster Truck Show."

Read more about the festivities after the gap. - GP

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For those unexposed to the drag king phenomenon, imagine if the members of the Village People were women and inhabited those male stereotypes more convincingly than actual cowboys, construction workers, and leathermen. And that's just a thumbnail.

"We have every kind of drag from suits to fruits; studs to puds," continued Frottage. "Everything from Elvis impersonators to Leather Daddies, Wrestlers, Contortionists, Hillbillies, Clowns, Jocks, and their female counterparts. It's a mind-boggling, dress-to-impress occasion, where part of the fun is just trying tell the performers and audience members apart."

As if the onstage entertainment wasn't enough, Frottage, known as "The Man with the Biggest Balls in Show Business" will be joined by The Indra, a "bi-sexual, bi-polar, half male, half female character" as Master and 1/2 Mistress of Ceremonies.

We think we're pretty pan-sexual around here, but still we gained insight from The Indra's words: "My motto," The Indra said, "If it doesn't look phallic enough, turn it sideways."

The 12th annual San Francisco Drag King Contest will take place Saturday, August 18, at SomArts on Brannan Street. Tickets range from $15 to $35.

· San Francisco Drag King Contest (sfdragkingcontest.com)

Previously: Drag Archive