I have heard that the word Drag Queen originated as a word for transsexual hookers. Drag Queen. The drag as in the strip. Many trans people had to perform in shows and sex work.

Wiki implies that drag meant the wearing clothes of the opposite gender however I was told it refers to any stretch of road wear hookers work.

The word drag queen was picked up by all the performers and eventually as trans people gained more rights the word became politically incorrect for trans people and was left to gay clubs. There are still many transsexuals that do "drag" as in shows however they call themselves show girls these days.

Now its considered an insult to be called a drag queen if you are a transwoman.

I tried to find the origin of the word and found this

Drag, referring to wearing women's clothing, is a word that probably derives from an association between two meanings. According to www.etymonline.com (an etymological dictionary), the Yiddish "trogn" from the German tragen means "to wear". Etymonline also identifies the cross-dressing connotation as well as the addition of the word queen as a result of 1870's theater slang, in which "drag" takes on a literal meaning to describe the sensation of a skirt dragging across the stage behind a male actor. Furthermore, terms that were applied to homosexuality and gender role breaking often made reference to slang for female prostitutes (for example, a brothel was referred to as a "gay house" in the 1890's, before the term became applicable to homosexuals). Therefore, it makes sense that the word "queen" (Old English cwene) once referred to a woman, hussy, or prostitute. Its first recorded use to refer to an effeminate man or homosexual is from 1935 in Australia. The two terms together, "drag queen," is first recorded in 1941. The combination of these words ensures a connotation of homosexuality and effeminacy along with what we might recognize as the most significant part: being dressed in a costume as the opposite sex.

There is a folkloric etymology from the late 20th century that suggests that the word "drag" is an acronym for DRessed As a Girl. The alternative would be drab, for a woman dressed in male clothing. However, this cannot be substantiated.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_th...#ixzz16L52BNkI

I don't know why but I anticipated a 'Highlander' like origin story suitable for the Sci Fi Channel

lol there can only be one.

I've got out my copy of "Fantabulosa - A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang" by Paul Paker. An excellent reference work if you're interested in queer slang.

queen, quean. noun: queen is a slang word used by many Polari speakers to refer to themselves, although like trade, it is a word which holds several meanings, which are dependant on the user, the target and the context of the situation. Queen was a word which the Mollies used on one another, although as a slang word, it has a history of being used on women, as much, or more than men. A female who was known as a queen, was either one whose reank or pre-eminence (often in a specified sphere) was comparable to that of a queen (Beauty Queen, Queen of Hearts, May Queen), an attractive girl, a girl-friend, or in parts of the country (e.g. Lancashire), a slang term of address similar to that of dear. The homosexual use of queen, is probably taken from an older word quean, which from the Middle Ages mean a woman, especially one who was ill-behaved, a jade, a hussy, a harlot or strumpet. Both queen and quean resulted from the rejoining of two related Old English words, cwen and cwene, rooted in the common Indo-European based gwen (meaning woman). One form became used to denote those at the top of the social scale (royalty, those who were best at something etc.) while the other experienced downward mobility, and was eventually connected to homosexuality.
Queen can be used to refer to any gay man, but it can also refer to various types of gay men: those who are effeminate, those who take the passive role in intercourse, or older men. Used in conjunction with other nouns, queen can simply denote someone who is 'into' a particular sexual scene; for example, drag queen (a man who wears feminine clothing, not a transexual), seafood queen (one who pursues sailors), bean queen (one who prefers Mexican partners) etc. Although queen may be aimed at homosexual men by outsiders with pejorative intent, used by homosexual men to each other, it is neutral or affectionate.

I remember when I started working in a parlour back in the day the workers would always refer to our clients (men) as she and her. I found it strange until I worked out what it was they actually wanted from us. Boy was that an education.