BGSQD
BGSQD
Celebrating the recent release of Lessons in Drag: A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties, this conversation brings together two of the most exciting public thinkers writing about DRAG. Together, Kareem Khubchandani and Elyssa Maxx Goodman will discuss themes that appear in the book, including drag’s place in the university, the nightclub as a site of care, the magic of lip synch, and performance’s ability to hold history and map futures.
The conversation models the form of Lessons in Drag, which opens with a thought-provoking dialogue between scholar Kareem Khubchandani and his drag persona LaWhore Vagistan. The book unfolds in alternating chapters where the two exchange insights, stories, and critiques. Khubchandani delves into the lessons LaWhore’s drag practice offers about academia—shaping his approaches to research, teaching, and writing—while Vagistan reveals how Khubchandani’s scholarship influences her performances, inspiring her understanding of fashion, music, divas, and aunties. Together, their reflections and conversations weave a compelling tapestry of drag’s instructive power. Witty, bold, and deeply personal, Lessons in Drag is both an invitation to explore drag as a practice and a celebration of its transformative potential.
Lessons in Drag was published in October 2025 by Brandeis University Press.
To reserve a copy of Lessons in Drag: A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties (Brandeis University Press, October 29, 2025, paperback, $29.95) please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Lessons in Drag for December 7 event” in the subject line.
Thank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us!
You can also purchase Lessons in Drag (click on title below) on our online shop at bookshop.com/shop/bgsqd:
This event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., NYC, 10011.
The Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books.
All are welcome to attend, with or without a donation.
We will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD
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Kareem Khubchandani is the author of the award-winning books Decolonize Drag and Ishtyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife. He is also co-editor of the Lambda Literary-nominated Queer Nightlife, guest editor of Text and Performance Quarterly’s “Critical Aunty Studies,” and associate editor for GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. Kareem is Associate Professor of theater, dance, and performance studies at Tufts University. His newest book, Lessons in Drag: A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties is now out from Brandeis University Press.
Elyssa Maxx Goodman is the author of National Bestseller Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City, named a 2024 Stonewall Honor Book, one of Vogue’s Best LGBTQ+ Books of 2023, one of Booklist’s Best History Books of 2023, and a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction. Elyssa has presented her drag history work on CNN, at Lincoln Center, the New-York Historical Society, and more. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Vogue, and Vanity Fair, among many others.