As RuPaul sang, ‘Call Me Mother!’ Drag motherhood has been brought into the mainstream due to being featured in popular shows like ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and ‘Pose’. Despite the polished glamour of drag ‘families’ as seen on Drag Race, house mothers have their roots in a much more real place. Drag houses were founded as a way for marginalized people to help support each other with survival. In the Ball culture of the 70’s and 80’s, many members of Houses did not have resources, families, or even housing stability. The Mothers and Fathers of these houses would become a second family for their ‘children’, not only showing them how to perform but also helping them stay off the streets, get jobs, and survive after many of them were outcast from their biological families. This dates back to the origins of ballroom culture during the prohibition era, when being homosexual or dressing differently than expected for your gender were illegal. These houses existed as outcasts from society and the law, and naturally they wanted to be able to express themselves and exist publicly. House Mothers and Fathers led their ‘children’ in protests and activism, helping to build the foundations of acceptance that we still fight for today.
