CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Diya TV) — Harvard University has hired drag performer and Tufts University professor Kareem Khubchandani, also known by the stage name “LaWhore Vagistan,” as a visiting professor. The Ivy League school announced the appointment in July, saying Khubchandani will teach in the Studies of Gender and Sexuality program.
Khubchandani, an associate professor of theater, dance, and performance studies at Tufts, is set to teach two classes over the course of two semesters. In the fall, the course “Queer Ethnography” will focus on methods of studying LGBTQ+ communities. In the spring, Khubchandani will lead “RuPaulitics: Drag, Race, and Desire,” which centers on the hit television show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Harvard said the visiting professorship was made possible through support from the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus. The move reflects the university’s ongoing effort to broaden its offerings in gender, culture, and performance studies.
Khubchandani has become well known in academic and performance circles under the drag persona “LaWhore Vagistan.” The name combines a reference to Lahore, a major city in Pakistan, and a play on words that ties into themes of sexuality and South Asian identity.
The performer has explained the choice of the stage name in past interviews. “My family traces its origins to Pakistan: Lahore is an important city in Pakistan, and well, I’m a bit of a whore,” Khubchandani said in a 2015 self-interview published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The drag persona has also been described as “aunty,” a South Asian cultural figure that blends humor, critique, and community presence.
LaWhore Vagistan has been part of Khubchandani’s work for more than a decade, blending drag performance with teaching, scholarship, and art. The character has even appeared in a music video titled “Sari.”
Khubchandani has published widely on drag, nightlife, and queer identity in South Asian and global contexts. His books include Decolonize Drag and Ishtyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife. This fall, he is releasing a new title, Lessons in Drag: A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties.
Through both scholarship and performance, Khubchandani explores how drag can be used as a tool of teaching and community-building. His research connects entertainment and culture with social commentary and critical studies.
News of Khubchandani’s appointment came shortly after President Donald Trump approved the release of $2.4 billion in federal grants to Harvard. The agreement included a plan for the university to operate several new trade schools.
“This would be a giant trade school, or a series of trade schools. It would be run by Harvard,” Trump told reporters this week in the Oval Office.
The timing has drawn attention, but Harvard has not commented on whether the new funding is connected in any way to Khubchandani’s hire.
Harvard’s decision highlights how drag culture is becoming part of mainstream academic life. Courses on performance, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity are no longer limited to niche programs. Instead, they are entering the heart of Ivy League education.
Supporters see the hire as a way to bring new perspectives to the classroom and introduce students to performance as a form of scholarship. Critics, however, have questioned whether classes focused on drag and reality television reflect the best use of elite university resources.
Still, Harvard is standing by its decision. The courses are already listed in its catalog for the academic year, and students will have the chance to study drag both as an art form and as a cultural lens.
Khubchandani’s dual role as scholar and performer makes him a unique figure in higher education. Whether in drag as LaWhore Vagistan or in the classroom as a professor, he has sought to challenge students to see culture in new ways.
With Harvard’s backing, that mission is now set to reach one of the largest academic stages in the country.
