Harvard University has taken the absurd step of hiring a drag queen, LaWhore Vagistan, as a visiting professor to teach a course next spring.
This isn’t just a quirky academic appointment; it’s yet another example of our institutions veering off the tracks of reason. LaWhore, known in the everyday world as Kareem Khubchandani, will be responsible for teaching a class centered on the reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race starting in early 2026. A message from Harvard outlines this troubling initiative, and it’s clear: the agenda is driven by ideology, not intellectual rigor.
Hailing from Tufts University, Khubchandani has made a name in theater, dance, and performance studies. His role at Harvard will be booked under the Studies of Gender and Sexuality program, thanks to backing from the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus. But let’s not kid ourselves—this move reflects a broader trend of prioritizing performative identity over traditional scholarship.
What’s more unsettling is the expectation that Khubchandani will persist in his flamboyant “LaWhore” persona during lectures. It’s a spectacle masquerading as education.
In his own words, Khubchandani embraces this absurdity, unapologetically referencing his stage name as a blend of cultural heritage and provocative behavior. He claims, “I chose ‘LaWhore’ because my family traces its origins to Pakistan: Lahore is an important city in Pakistan, and well, I’m a bit of a whore.” This self-indulgent rationale shows a complete disconnect from the seriousness of academia.
Mark your calendars. The two courses set to be taught—“RuPaulitics: Drag, Race, and Desire” in the spring, and “Queer Ethnography” next fall—strongly signal that academic critical thinking is being replaced with superficial narratives. Focused on a reality television show, the spring class will center around a competition where drag queens vie for the spotlight. Is this really what we want as a staple of higher education?
Khubchandani’s previous works, including Decolonizer Drag and Ishstyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife, set the tone for his latest release, Lessons in Drag: A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties, which is due out soon. This isn’t just literature; it’s part of the relentless push to redefine our cultural landscape in ways that often defy logic.
The hiring of LaWhore Vagistan represents a troubling trend at Harvard and other institutions, where ideological conformity trumps genuine academic inquiry. We must rally against this wave of absurdity. Our higher education system deserves leaders who focus on facts, not fads.
