bio queen

[ bahy-oh kween ]

noun

, Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a drag queen who is a cisgender woman, or one who was assigned female at birth or identifies as a woman.

Sensitive Note

Although the terms bio queen and faux queen are sometimes used in self-reference by drag performers, these terms are often offensive if applied by others. Bio queen implies that the performers are “biologically” feminine, which conflates sex, gender, and gender presentation, and is perceived to diminish the performers' artistry. Faux queen implies that the drag queens in question are not performing real drag. The terms are also applied differently depending on who is using them. They are most frequently used for cisgender women, but may also be used for nonbinary drag queens who were assigned female at birth, transgender female drag queens who have undergone medical transition, and, less commonly, transgender male drag queens, especially those who have not undergone medical transition.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bio queen¹

First recorded in 2000–05; bio(logical) ( def ) + queen ( def )

Example Sentences

Overdrive is known as a “bio queen,” a drag queen who is a biological woman.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• drag artist
• drag queen