Drag, Comedy, and Resistance: Patriarchy Power Challenged

Lemmon in a dress and Red Skelton pretending to wear one still matter in today’s culture wars

May 05, 2025

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Poster showing the characters in the film “Some Like it Hot.” Appearing with Marilyn Monroe are actors Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag. — Poster for the film, “Some Like it Hot” designed by Macario Gómez Quibus. “Copyright 1959 — United Artists Corp.”., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite the Red and Lavender Scares—government crackdowns targeting communists and LGBTQ individuals—mainstream movies and TV shows of the era still featured drag characters. While often portrayed through stereotypes, they were ubiquitous in popular culture.

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