I Don't Agree
I have to disagree with Aitken and Lukinbeal. I don't feel that a liberal masculine figure must suppress themselves for the sake of "normal" masculinity. To accept that comment would suggest that a man has no option but to be as much as a "real man" as possible. However, society as well as culture, molds the functional roles of a man. He must portray himself as strong and masculine, and anything related to femininity is an outrage. This was seen when the men in the small town realized Felicia was a man. They were ready to assault him, probably more because they felt tricked. We also see that Bernadette, as much as she portrayed herself as a woman, had to step into a masculine form to defend Felicia. So why can't a man be both masculine and feminine? If the world were perfect than they could, but due to societal constraints, it can't be possible. We saw Tick's reaction to seeing his son at the end of his performance. It seemed to put pressure on him to suppress his Drag characteristics, but his son already knows he is a Drag Queen and does not care. His son's upbringing allowed him to be open. Just seeing this acceptance allowed me to realize that liberation is something that is molded into culture.