美国国家公共电台 NPR--Nation's first 'drag laureate' kicks off Pride in San Francisco

Nation's first 'drag laureate' kicks off Pride in San Francisco

Transcript¹

As anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ policies become more common, San Francisco recently appointed the country's first "drag laureate." (Story aired on All Things Considered on June 12, 2023.)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

When you win a Nobel Prize, you become a Nobel laureate. The country also has a poet laureate. Many states have poet laureates. And now there is a drag laureate. NPR's Chloe Veltman recently joined the country's first drag laureate on her inaugural² public appearance, unfurling a Pride flag outside San Francisco City Hall.

CHLOE VELTMAN, BYLINE³: Getting D'Arcy Drollinger ready for her first official appearance as San Francisco drag laureate is a production.

D'ARCY DROLLINGER: I do need to get my nails on. So...

VELTMAN: The artist, nightclub owner and newly appointed government official stands in the living room of her San Francisco apartment as two helpers grapple with a set of bejeweled, custom-made artificial nails.

DROLLINGER: What was that one? That's a...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: That's a middle finger.

DROLLINGER: That's a thumb, honey.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Wait. That's a thumb.

VELTMAN: Wedged into a pair of white patent stilettos and a tight, pink skirt suit, Drollinger eventually steps out of the house and into a very busy week.

DROLLINGER: I am speaking at the San Francisco Arts Commission. I'm also, in the same day, speaking at the entertainment commission. I'm also going to speak at a high school. I'll be in the parade with the mayor.

VELTMAN: San Francisco Mayor London Breed says the city's LGBTQ task force proposed the creation of the drag laureate position around three years ago, during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

LONDON BREED: The creativity, the joy that a drag laureate brings - because we've been through a really hard time.

VELTMAN: In fact, Breed says one of D'Arcy Drollinger's selling points as a candidate for the job was her track record as a spreader of sparkle. The nightclub owner pivoted⁴ during lockdown to create a food delivery service.

BREED: Meals on Heels.

VELTMAN: Performers in drag from Drollinger's nightclub delivered meals and cocktails⁵ to San Francisco residents with a side order of lip-syncing.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Come on. You're just joining me, right? Come on. We're all dancing.

VELTMAN: But Mayor Breed says the recent attacks against drag performers, as well as a rise in anti-drag legislation in different parts of the country, now make the appointment of a drag laureate particularly crucial.

BREED: In some of those communities where something like this wouldn't be considered acceptable behavior, there's a kid that's thinking, oh, my goodness. She's like me. I can be myself without fear.

KYLO FREEMAN: It's scary right now. The backlash is real.

DROLLINGER: That's Kylo Freeman. They're the force behind Drag is Divine. The ad campaign aims to raise awareness⁶ and funding to help fight anti-drag laws. Freeman says they're excited to see local governments highlight drag culture in such a visible way. In West Hollywood, officials plan to appoint a drag laureate later this month.

FREEMAN: I think it's a real step forward to have these roles in place, giving us folks that can speak on behalf of the community at a large scale.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Pull it. Pull it. Pull it. There we go.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: That's it.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #6: Woo.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #7: Woo.

VELTMAN: At San Francisco City Hall, D'Arcy Drollinger assists the mayor in the traditional unfurling of the Pride flag and makes her first official speech.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

DROLLINGER: Drag is activism. Drag is joy. Drag is instrumental to bringing people together. Drag is fabulous⁷.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #8: Yeah.

VELTMAN: Afterwards, Drollinger cheerfully admits she's not quite prepared to meet the demands of her new job. For instance, being on one's feet at long-winded civic⁸ functions isn't super compatible with the wearing of three-inch stilettos. But the nation's first-ever drag laureate says she's willing to improvise⁹.

DROLLINGER: Sometimes you have to lip-sync to whatever song gets turned on.

VELTMAN: Because that's what trailblazers do.

Chloe Veltman, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 pivoted   

adj.转动的，回转的，装在枢轴上的v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的过去式和过去分词 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开

参考例句：

• His old legs and shoulders pivoted with the swinging of the pulling. 他一把把地拉着，两条老迈的腿儿和肩膀跟着转动。 来自英汉文学 - 老人与海
• When air is moving, the metal is pivoted on the hinge. 当空气流动时，金属板在铰链上转动。 来自辞典例句

5 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

8 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

9 improvise   

v.即兴创作；临时准备，临时凑成

参考例句：

• If an actor forgets his words，he has to improvise.演员要是忘记台词，那就只好即兴现编。
• As we've not got the proper materials,we'll just have to improvise.我们没有弄到合适的材料，只好临时凑合了。