My writing is back in the pages of the Texas Observer (on a freelance basis), with a review of a new short film which was shown at this year’s South By Southwest:
When the drag queen known as Hermajestie the Hung reached her breaking point, she transformed into the Joker, becoming the scourge of patriarchy, homophobic lawmakers, and anti-transgender bigots everywhere.
“She’s that queen that’s just had enough,” Hermajestie told the Texas Observer.
In reality, The Queen vs. Texas—a new short film recently screened at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in Austin— isn’t exactly a supervillain origin story, but it does depict the transformation Raemonn James, better known as “Hermajestie,” undergoes as she applies her drag makeup to become a queered-up version of that mischievous comic book character.
She’s dressed up for a performance of Vanguard, the drag troupe she led from 2020 until she left the state in 2023, in the wake of a flood of anti-LGBTQ+ laws passed by the Texas Legislature. In a way, the 15-minute film also depicts James’ Joker-like political transformation, as the former Texas resident realizes how unbearable and unlivable the cultural landscape has become for her, her son, and her partner.
“The seriousness of not taking anything seriously that is so iconic about the Joker character, that energy resonates with me,” James told us. “Why are we taking these bozos seriously? These politicians, [these] criminals … Why are we taking them seriously? Why are we playing their games? … The character seems to have a very good understanding that the real joke is reality.”
It was fun to visit with Hermajestie the Hung again, who I profiled last year for the Texas Observer magazine. I’m glad she’s doing well since leaving Texas, though I miss watching her perform!
Keep watching this space, I’m shared some Patron’s-only bonus material from this review and will add it to this website next week.
