American drag culture bears a disturbing resemblance to the Afghan custom of “boy play.”
There is a certain culture where it is acceptable for men to take possession of young boys, dress them in girls’ clothes, make them wear makeup, jewelry, and ankle bells, and teach them to dance seductively before groups of men.
The boys are virtual sex slaves of the men who have purchased them from poor families or sex traffickers, and they are frequently rented out as prostitutes to the men who come to watch them dance.
The men who groom the boys are not ashamed of what they do. In fact, it is common for them to boast about it. Frequently, the men are well-to-do and hold positions of power — often in the military.
