Drag star RuPaul has effectively declared war on the right, telling fans that drag stars like him are the front-line soldiers in the ongoing culture wars.
Responding specifically to all the legislation being proposed across the country to protect young children from salacious drag shows and also gender-transition surgery, RuPaul ranted and raved on his Instagram account this Wednesday.
“Hey, look over there! A classic distraction technique, distracting us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on: jobs, healthcare, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school,” he said.
“But we know that bullies are incompetent at solving real issues. They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective. They think our love, our light, our laughter and our joy are signs of weakness. But they’re wrong because that is our strength,” he added.
It was obvious that he meant Republicans when he said “bullies,” as the GOP has been at the forefront of the movement to protect children from LGBT indoctrination.
“Drag queens are the Marines of the queer movement. Don’t get it twisted and don’t be distracted. Register to vote so we can get these stunt queens out of office and put some smart people with real solutions into government. And by the way, a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote,” he continued.
Listen:
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RuPaul’s rant comes only a week or so after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, signed into law legislation that bans all gender-transition treatment for minors and imposes certain restrictions on drag shows.
“Lee … signed off on a new law to prohibit ‘adult-oriented’ entertainment, including ‘male and female impersonators,’ from public property and limit it to age-restricted venues,” according to The Tennessean.
“The legislation, filed after a flurry of drag show controversies in Tennessee, is not a total ban of drag, though opponents worry it could open the door to wider legal battles over the performance art,” The Tennessean reported on March 3.
While RuPaul neglected to mention Tennessee or the specific law in question, most observers believe his rant was mainly about that.
Plus, RuPaul is the mastermind behind “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a reality show, and it just so happens that some contestants have been speaking out about the law.
“I am deeply upset and saddened to hear about the drag ban in Tennessee. The state [proposed] this bill to protect children from seeing anything explicit, when in fact, it is a mask used to hide the discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ community and the desire to erase drag,” one season 15 contestant, Aura Mayari, told Entertainment Weekly.
“Public indecency is already illegal in Tennessee, this is yet another awful attempt at trying to take away our rights. … People come to our shows to have a good time and to escape the cruel reality of life. Drag brings joy and inspiration to all audiences. Drag changes people’s lives and that’s what pushes me to continue fighting for our community.”
Meanwhile, season 8 winner Bob stressed in a tweet that anyone who watches the show needs “to make your choice heard.”
Look:
If you watch Drag Race, Pose, Legendary, Dragula, etc. you need to make your choice heard. These anti trans/ anti drag bills are actually starting to make their way through, and after that have taken down trans and nonbinary people. . . GAY BOYZ, YOU’RE NEXT!! Trust and believe.
— Bobbiana (@thatonequeen) March 7, 2023
All this said, critics take issue with the argument that drag shows for kids aren’t a real issue.
Indeed, a Rasmussen Reports poll published in November found that 60 percent of U.S. adults consider drag queen story hour events — which are one form of drag shows for kids — to be inappropriate for children.
Yet drag shows and drag queen story hour events have become ubiquitous, cropping up all across the United States, including at schools and at public libraries.
But as seen in the tweets below, there are still plenty of Americans who staunchly oppose these shows/performances for children:
Millions of people genuinely think drag shows for kids are a real issue and vote accordingly. Saying it isn’t a real issue doesn’t change this.
— Aaron Nagy (@aaronnagy1987) March 9, 2023
If drag shows hadn’t pushed their way into grade schools, that legislation wouldn’t be necessary
— candie smith (@cjs1785) March 9, 2023
It was never an issue until liberals started bringing children to sexually explicit drag shows
— N/A (@Fluebear) March 9, 2023
Fake news. They aren’t targeting drag shows. They’re targeting drag shows that cater to children.
— BKactual (@BravoKiloActual) March 9, 2023
Kids should not be exposed to sexually explicit public displays or information. Not that hard to understand.
— Mike (@Mike_N_Prescott) March 9, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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