As Daily Kos continues to cover, Republicans will do just about whatever it takes to get their voter base mad enough to vote. Sure, they tell a lot of lies, but when it comes to conservatives, the truth seems to be a secondary concern. Take, for example, the ongoing violence against LGBTQ+ folks being pushed by both Republicans in power and those running for office. We’ve covered Don't Say Gay bills, anti-trans health care efforts, and even bomb threats against hospitals that offer gender-affirming care to trans folks. It’s a nightmare.
Republicans are also going after… drag queens. No, not satire. Whether drag queens want to host family-friendly drag shows or read books to kids at the literal library, conservatives are livid about it. Why? Because they want to position anything remotely queer as innately sexual and therefore inappropriate for kids. It’s hateful, misleading, and frankly, could get people hurt.
One recent example comes to us from Pflugerville, Texas, where a group of neo-Nazis terrorized a weekend drag brunch after the Texas GOP Twitter account tweeted about the event, as reported by Vice. We can’t say for certain these neo-Nazis chose the drag event at Hanover Draught Haus because of the tweet (which went live two days before the event), but one did come after the other, so… It’s notable, at minimum. Also notable? The guy carrying a flag with a literal swastika.
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Let’s paint the picture. One member of the group wore a hat with a swastika on it. Someone else wore a necklace with a swastika on the chain. One sign read “It’s Okay to be White.” Another sign read “Transestite is not a Gender; it is a Mental Disorder.” Someone held up a flag with the “SS” lightning bolt symbol.
This was the restaurant’s first time hosting an all-ages drag event. According to LGBTQ Nation, no children actually attended on Sunday. Even still, the vice president of Pflugerville Pride told local outlet KVUE that the manager of the restaurant received death threats at her personal phone number. The local Pride organization reportedly reached out to the local police department. They also reached out to Veterans for Equality for support.
“There was some crazy music going on that they were playing, very vulgar, derogatory language, Gen Peña, who helped to protect the event from protesters, told the outlet in an interview. “Really aggressive and against people of color and everything like that.”
"They opened up the Nazi flag and the SS flag,” Gen Peña brother, Mac Peña, who also attended the event, told the outlet. “Like, at that point I was like, 'You got to be kidding me.” They told the outlet the neo-Nazis stayed out there for about an hour.
Here is that original tweet, by the way.
Just to review the obvious, here, there is nothing inherently sexual about drag. There really isn’t! Sure, some drag shows are geared for adults. And that’s fine! But drag is no more devious or obscene than any other form of dress-up or costume. Drag shows include, for example, comedy, singing, lip syncing, dancing, and even activities like bingo and reading out loud. Again, sometimes drag events can have sexual humor, get rowdy, and be, well, adults only. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and when an event is explicitly family inclusive and meant for all ages, then… It’s meant for all ages. No big deal.
It’s only become a big deal because Republicans need to get people mad in order to get them to vote.
You can check out those interviews with KVUE below.
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