Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Why the world needs more queens


You don’t have to be monarch to be a queen and the 2014 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest proves that drag queendom is alive and well!

Thomas Neuwirth or as his alter-ego drag queen, Conchita Wurst stormed the stage in Copenhagen with a powerful vocal offering of “Rise like a Phoenix” and there was certainly no ash on this phoenix’s feathers! After a pitch perfect and utterly captivating performance, the exquisitely dressed and dark bearded Conchita stole the hard hearts of Europe.

He/She looked genuinely surprised and humbled that her/his performance had evoked so many “douze points” (full marks) from a large number of the voting countries. Top marks were received from some of the die-hard Southern European transgender-phobic hinterland and that in itself was groundbreaking!

Despite the fervent clamours from republicanist supporters to rid itself of monarchies, king and queendoms continue to thrive. The recent Australian tour undertaken by Prince William and his family clearly shows that the anti-monarchist stance is weakening thanks in part due to the birth of cute-as-a button Prince George!

A woman can be a queen in many ways. Naturally, the current incumbent at the Palace, Queen Elizabeth II, continues a 60+ year reign over her willing (and unwilling) subjects. Life would be a little less interesting  if we forsook the pomp and pageantry in order to swell the public purse (which politicians would only divert to their private expense accounts anyway!). Princess Diana was the people’s and paparazzi’s princess and was loved and feted all over the world in life and death. All she ever wanted was to do some good and be a queen in people’s hearts; that she achieved in her own inimitable style. 

A woman who behaves with dignity and displays courage when under fire is a queen for all seasons – in good times and bad, in marriage, widowhood or divorce, in penury and affluence, in health or sickness, for better or for worse - a woman with a queenly attitude is a powerful force of nature…..don’t mess with her!
If only a man could be more like a queen, he would understand the potent value of the regal, female state. 

Kings have a chequered past – they’ve beheaded their wives, drunk copious amounts of dark intoxicating liquid, gorged themselves on a host of unhealthy delicacies, got gout, flown into blind rages, defrauded and defrocked, commited perjury and injury, locked people in the tower and subjected them to torture, started wars, sown wild oats and asked the hungry to eat cake, collected unfair taxes, taken mistresses and produced a string of illegtimate children, practised hypocrisy and generally abused their privileges at every opportunity.

A King seeks dominion over his subjects and resists showing them proper care and compassion. This kind of king is living in the past and like the Emperor’s “new clothes” he’s now exposed to a new reality. A man/king’s home is no more his castle……….especially if its in need of repair and refurbishment……..and there’s not a good woman/queen around the place to help out. 

A man who thinks he’s a king (and lauds it over his family) will soon find himself trudging around the supermarket in his ermine cloak with a lonely shopping basket for one. A packet of sausages and a tin of baked beans is not a meal fit for royalty!!!


A man/king with a roving eye may find both his eyes popping out when he sees the divorce lawyers fees and alimony payments. He might be sorry that he couldn’t keep his royal trousers up!! A man/king who lacks sensitivity and humility will find that his bed cold and that the chamber maid has run off with the gardener and the bed pan!

We don’t need any more kings, macho-men, egotists, narcissists and oppressors of peace and freedom. 
We need kind, gentle, enlightened and inspirational male figures who may also dress up as drag queens. 
Yes, we need more Conchitas who will pave the way for men to be more like women. 
A woman's man

Conchita bared her soul last Saturday and revealed an awesome talent. He/She has broken down transgender barriers and helped Europe think in a new way. His/Her brand of queendom is young and fresh and has blown all those cobwebs out of the castle……long live the queen….go Conchita!
















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