The annual “Drag ’n Tag” expedition takes place amid a wave of antitransgender legislation
It starts like any other day on the water for the Field School, a marine research and education organization based in Miami. Scientists and volunteers cram into the main cabin of the RV Garvin, a 55-foot converted yacht that bears an unsettling resemblance to the boat in Jaws. A Field School scientist holds a pink plush shark and gestures to its fins and tail, explaining the data that we will be collecting.
After graduating, Toto felt mentally “tapped out” in science and needed a break. She worked as an educator at a science center while doing drag shows on the side before she decided to really focus on her craft. Now Toto is a full-time drag queen and DJ based in Chicago. But she still gets out on the boat with the Field School every time she returns to Miami.
The amateur taggers must work fast despite their inexperience; the goal is for each fish to spend no more than six minutes out of the water. The data we collect will contribute to shark population monitoring and research projects in Macdonald’s lab, which tracks how these animals respond to changes in their environment. “It’s very difficult to protect a species you don’t understand, so data on sharks can play a role in identifying essential habitats or potential threats,” Macdonald says.
“Marine science, and especially shark science, is a very white male path,” Toto says. “So showing that there are people of color, there are women there are queer people is important.” Such moves have made Drag ’n Tag fundraising all the more important to Pridelines, which is now barred from much of the work it used to do with schools. “All of the ways we used to reach out to at-risk youth were closed overnight,” says Daniel Molloy, Pridelines’ director of grants and programming.
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