The ABC’s popular series You Can’t Ask That is back for a third season with some familiar faces sitting down in front of the camera.

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The award winning show asks misunderstood, misjudged, or marginalised Australians the awkward, inappropriate, or uncomfortable questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to but have always been afraid to ask.

The third series features the first-person voices of survivors of sexual assault, ex-reality TV stars, former cult members, people with eating disorders, swingers, people living with schizophrenia, priests and drag performers.

Taking a seat in front of the camera for the drag episode will be Perth’s much loved drag visionary Strykermeyer.

“I almost didn’t do it” Strykermeyer said of his appearance on the show “I really don’t like format TV because you can lip-sync what’s going to happen, and I do quite often.

“I’d never seen it before, I asked if it was one of those horribly formatted programs, and they reassured me it had won some awards. I thought since the ABC building is down the end of my street it wasn’t too much effort.”

Despite his reservations Strykermeyer said he had enjoyed meeting up with Doug Lucas from Melbourne to sit down in front of the cameras, but he wasn’t sure if the producers were ready for his blunt opinions.

“I get narky, I actually don’t like drag at the moment. I never go see a drag show, I can’t be arsed. Of course everyone is very individual but generally its sex, beauty and wealth that sells these drags queens, I find it really shallow.”

“There’s so many drag queens now, I’m sure if you asked half of them have never been on stage, but they’re part of that group.”

Strykermeyer said drag has always been a great way for people who are feeling vulnerable to put on some armour before they head out into the world.

“None of the equations surprised me, there was only one that I’d never heard before. That’s no reflection on the people who are making the show, but it’s terrifying that the questions you were getting asked in the 70’s when you first started – they haven’t changed at all.

“That’s really scary, and a really bad indictment of the rest of the world that is not part of the drag scene. Things aren’t actually changing.”   

The veteran performer said many of the young performers entering the word of drag nowadays don’t appreciate how much variety and depth there is to what a drag performance can be.

“I’ve got nothing at all against RuPaul or anyone who loves that program but it’s a fine veneer of what drag can be.” Stykermeyer said.

Asked what attracted him to drag right back at the beginning of his career Strkermyer is clear.

“It was music, the whole glam rock scene, my sister and I used to go into her bedroom and listen to Marc Bolan, it was all Bowie and T-Rex and The Sweet. All these people had amazing make-up and long hair. I knew the worlds of every song and I would naturally lip-sync. It was just a natural progression that I started doing it on stage.”

Also appearing in the drag episode is Maxi Shield, Penny Tration, Courtney Act, Dandrogony, Sexy Galexy and Vova Gina.

The performers tackle a wide range of topics including who hits on them while there in drag, whether or not they’ve had sex in character and how ‘tucking’ actually works. There are serious moments too when the topics of political activism are addressed, and the performers share how drag has given them greater confidence in their regualar lives.

The new 8×30 minute series will air from Wednesday 11 July at 9pm on ABC, with all episodes available on ABC iview after the premiere.

Graeme Watson