Harvard University announced over the summer that it has appointed a drag performer as a new professor who will teach a course on the popular TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in the upcoming spring semester.
The university extended a warm welcome to Kareem Khubchandani in a message to the college community in July, indicating that the visiting professor from Tufts University will contribute to the Studies of Gender and Sexuality program, facilitated by the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus.
Khubchandani, who is widely recognized by his drag persona “LaWhore Vagistani,” has integrated this character deeply into his educational approach.
Often, he will deliver lectures in full drag as “LaWhore,” a personal endeavor that has flourished for over a decade, even resulting in a music video titled “Sari.”
In a revealing interview with his drag persona published by the Johns Hopkins University Press back in 2015, Khubchandani shared insights about the unique and cheeky origin of his stage name.
studies at Tufts University.
“I go by LaWhore Vagistan, and my preferred pronouns are ‘she’ or ‘aunty.’ I selected ‘LaWhore’ as a nod to my family’s roots in Pakistan—Lahore is a significant city there, and I have a bit of a w*ore spirit,” the drag artist expressed.
“As for Vagistan, I envision the subcontinent as one grand, beautiful Vag…istan,” he humorously noted in the self-reflective interview.
Khubchandani will instruct two courses throughout two semesters—“Queer Ethnography” in the fall and “RuPaulitics: Drag, Race, and Desire” during the spring semester, as detailed in Harvard’s announcement.
The spring course is set to delve into the intricacies of the hit cable show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The associate professor of theater, dance, and performance studies at Tufts has authored significant works, including “Decolonizer Drag” and “Ishstyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife,” with his latest book, “Lessons in Drag: A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties,” launching this fall.
News of Khubchandani’s new role came just days after President Trump released $2.4 billion in federal grants to Harvard following an agreement for the establishment of new vocational schools.
“This would involve creating a substantial trade school or several of them, all managed by Harvard,” the president informed reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Harvard has not yet responded to requests for further comments.
