Harvard University has announced the hiring of drag performer and academic Kareem Khubchandani—known by his stage name LaWhore Vagistan—as a visiting professor in its Studies of Gender and Sexuality program.
Khubchandani, currently an associate professor of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at Tufts University, has long blended scholarship with performance art. He is widely recognized for incorporating his drag persona into his lectures, often delivering academic presentations in character.
Over the next academic year, Khubchandani will teach two courses at Harvard. In the fall semester, he will lead a class titled Queer Ethnography, while in the spring semester, he will teach RuPaulitics: Drag, Race, and Desire, a course examining the cultural and political influence of the hit television show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Khubchandani is also a published author, with acclaimed works such as Decolonizer Drag and Ishtyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife. His upcoming book, Lessons in Drag: A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties, is set to debut this fall. In addition to his scholarship, his drag persona has inspired creative projects, including a music video titled Sari.
Connection to Federal Funding Deal
The news of Khubchandani’s appointment came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the release of $2.4 billion in previously frozen federal grants to Harvard University. The agreement, according to Trump, was tied to Harvard’s commitment to fund and operate new trade schools.
“This would be a giant trade school, or a series of trade schools. It would be run by Harvard,” President Trump said in a statement at the White House.
