Republicans love getting their voter base riled up, especially when we’re approaching election season. Conservatives across the nation have pushed anti-queer bills and ideas with increasing intensity and targeted LGBTQ+ folks and allies from all corners. Bills trying to ban trans folks from accessing safe, age-appropriate, gender-affirming health care have gained significant speed in addition to efforts to bar trans girls and women from girls’ sports teams. Bathroom bills continue to pop up. And as Daily Kos discussed in our Banned Book Club series, far-right extremists have infiltrated school board meetings to spew their anti-book agenda, especially when those books are by and about LGBTQ+ people.
Drag shows have also become the topic of the day for conservatives who are looking to stir the pot. Why? Conservatives have apparently decided that drag shows are the perfect thing to fixate on when using their anti-queer “inappropriate,” “obscene,” and “predatory” rhetoric. While some drag shows are obviously adult-only, plenty of drag shows are family-friendly. Similarly, drag queens reading books to kids is a popular activity for schools and community centers. None of this is a big deal, except that conservatives want it to be.
Why is that? Because they want to keep their voters upset and distracted. They also want to terrorize LGBTQ+ folks and keep allies and advocates quiet. And as we know, this rhetoric can be truly dangerous. As reported by the HuffPost, for example, a doughnut shop in Oklahoma has been attacked by a Molotov cocktail after hosting a drag queen art installation event. Per security footage of the attack, we can see the extremist is wearing a red hat (yes, really) while tossing the firebomb into the doughnut shop. In case it wasn’t clear enough, the attacker reportedly also left a note that included “hateful rhetoric,” though the details of the note haven’t yet been released publicly.
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The Donut Hole, which is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was attacked at around 2:30 in the morning on Monday. In a video from its security footage, a person in black clothing, a mask, and a red hat can be seen throwing a Molotov cocktail into the shop. The front door broke and the shop suffered some minor fire-related damages.
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According to local outlet Tulsa World, the attacker is seen on video leaving a note at the business next door. The note reportedly includes “hateful rhetoric” alongside Bible verses, according to Andy Little, a spokesperson for the Tulsa Fire Department. They did not elaborate on the specifics of the note.
In speaking to local outlet News on 6, Tulsa Fire Department Lt. Tim Ingram said there was some kind of “chemical” meant to spread fire “quickly” and cause “great potential damage.”
Notably, this wasn’t the first attack on the shop. In the middle of October, the shop reported that someone had attacked the building in the middle of the night, resulting in broken windows. The shop reopened, and then came the firebomb attack.
In a post shared on the business’ Facebook page, the Donut Hole said their drag queen art installation show was an “enormous success” with more than 500 people attending. They describe folks having an “overwhelming reaction of laughing, jokes, fun and good times” by all who attended.
“Unfortunately,” the post continues, “there was also a reaction of hate and we were the victim of somebodies malicious acts. But in ones attempt to rain on our parade, the community answered by showing overwhelming support.”
The Donut Hole originally asked for $2,500 in donations to repair damage to the store. They’ve received more than $10,000 at the time of writing.
You can see the security footage video shared by the business here. You can also catch some local coverage of the vandalism below.
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