I can't fault anyone for the confusion. I spent most of high school and some college in theatre, but avoided (yet quietly yearned) to do drag, but I think like many, I was very aware it wasn't an act for me, and would have felt (especially back then, late 70s, pre-AIDS, when drag was getting slammed by at least some in the gay community) --I would have felt like I was being asked to tell yet another lie, and a very, very convoluted one. I did do make up and costuming, and spent as much time as possible with other girls doing the same. Because I'd been pushed to do some building trades work, I was pushed into more set construction than I ever wanted to do (I also had drafting skills, so I did some set design as well) but at least the head of the set department in college was also a woman, so it wasn't too dysphoric, plus I got paid for it, which certainly beat waking up at 4:30 am to refill drink dispensers in the cafeteria.
It's been my understanding, from contact with girls transitioning in earlier years, that more than a few of us do or did wind up in drag... quelle surprise. And especially before the interwebz, drag clubs were practically the only social contact, aside from a few support groups, where one would often fear having to face no small amount of unintentional homophobia.
I recalled after posting, that I also had friends way into Rocky Horror Picture Show, back when the midnight showings were a pretty big thing in many places. One of my friends, who in retrospect was probably coming onto me more than a few times, without me realizing it, frequently announced his intention to attend graduation dressed as Columbia. Not sure if that would have been drag, and we lost touch, so I also don't really know if he was really she... I wonder this about more than a few people I've lost touch with over the years.
