The lights are bright and hot. The crowd is swallowed by the darkness that is beyond the stage. Excitement, anxiety and skepticism run through Makenzie Taylor’s mind before she starts her performance that will keep people talking for hours.

Taylor started “doing” drag or being a female impersonator about four years ago after graduating high school.

“I went to my first drag show in September 2007 at Red Light Lounge in Syracuse [New York],” Taylor said. “I had never seen a drag queen before, and my friend, Tim, was a pretty famous drag queen out here. I came back and performed and I had seen some other female impersonators perform also. It was interesting and fun; it takes a lot of balls to do something to do that.”

Taylor explained that she never thought she would continue to do drag, but “once [she] tried it, it stuck with [her].” There is a transformation process from male to female and visa versa that can be exhilarating for performers.

“It’s not just shaving your body and painting your face,” Taylor said. “Your personality changes as well. You have a different persona when you’re in drag. I get more feminine and more aggressive, but not in a negative way.”

It’s because of this transformation and the energy from performing that Taylor loves what she does.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about the reactions from the people,” Taylor said. “I will get compliments from people hours later when we’re at the bar; like that was  fantastic or that was really funny.”

Dressing in drag has been around since the 19th century, and through the 20th century is gradually became more and more popular. This led to the steady decline of closeted gay men because female impersonation made them fearless. During the Stonewall Riots, which took place over a few days in 1969, drag queens were very prominent in the modern gay liberation movement; and the events that took place over those few days in Greenwich Village started the Gay Rights Movement.

Today, drag queens are seen as a form of entertainment, just like going to a concert, but more interactive. They can pull you on stage or dance with you.The more interactive the audience the more fun it is for the entertainer.

Drag queens and kings have evolved in meaning and in what they represent. They are icons and role models for today’s LGBT youth. They allow others to feel liberated by knowing that it is okay to be out about being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Taylor believes that young adults should give drag a try. “I tried it, thought to myself it will be one time,” Taylor said. “But then performing was amazing. The feeling of expressing yourself and not caring what people think of you helped me be more openly gay and realize who I was as a person and a performer. Its not easy, but an adventure. Coming from someone who was made fun of in school, it gave me strength. [You shouldn't ] be afraid to express yourself, and dont change who you are to fit in.”