Drag panic

The drag panic (also called drag queen panic) is an ongoing moral panic in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom stemming from the belief that drag when exposed to minors, can be harmful due to its perception as sexual in nature. The drag panic originated in early 2019 in the United States,[lower-alpha 1] then accentuated after the attacks of the United States Capitol of 2021.[6][7] The panic has become more prominent in 2022, arising in the United Kingdom and Canada in a series of rallies and counter-rallies related to drag queens performing in front of minors.[6]

Barbada de Barbades reading books to children at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec in 2021.

Throughout 2022, there were 141 incidents of protests and harassment towards drag events in the United States.[8][9]

Background
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot.

Although drag queen performances have been present for many centuries, only in the second half of the 20th century, drag queens appear in works of wide popular relevance, such as Some Like It Hot, The Birdcage, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.[10] The art of drag continued to gain popularity and even going mainstream. Many series were recognized in early 21st century, such as RuPaul's Drag Race, We're Here, and Call Me Mother.

Due to the attention paid to the phenomenon on the rise in 2019; later in the years figures belonging to the alt-right as Libs of TikTok,[11] Matt Walsh,[12][13] Tucker Carlson,[14] Michael Knowles,[15] Dennis Prager,[16] Candace Owens,[17] and Ben Shapiro[18] began to link drag queens to the LGBT grooming conspiracy theory, calling to limit their visibility.[19]

Timeline

United States

Protests against drag performances, especially Drag Queen Story Hour, increased after the 2021 attacks at the United States Capitol.[20] The most vocal opponents are mostly affiliated with alt-right groups.[20] Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, suggested that drag events could "indoctrinate or sexualize" children.[20] Protestors also have expressed concern about homophobic conspiracy theories that performers are grooming children.[21][22] The Anti-Defamation League reported that child abuse conspiracy theory has been fuelled by the Libs of TikTok, a far-right Twitter account.[22] The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation reported over 120 threats against drag shows in the US, throughout 2022.[23]

In mid-June of 2022, the far-right Twitter account, Libs of TikTok, condemned the upcoming Coeur d'Alene, Idaho's "Pride in the Park" festival due to a "family-friendly drag performance."[8] On June 11th, 2022, during the pride event, law enforcement arrested 31 members of the white nationalist and hate group Patriot Front, later charging them with conspiracy to riot.[24]

On March 2, 2023, Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed a bill to equate drag queen performances with sexual performers.[25] Subsequently, a 1977 photo emerged of Lee dressed in drag in the company of minors.[26][27] This bill sparked outrage throughout the United States, including politicians and drag queens.[28]

United Kingdom

In July 2022, right winged groups protested Drag Queen Story Hour at Reading Central Library in Berkshire.[29][30] The event featured Sab Samuel performing in drag as Aida H Dee.[31] Subsequent protests occurred in Crewe, Bristol,[30] and at Glastonbury Public Library.[32] In August 2022, 50 protestors were met with about 300 counter-protestors outside a drag event at Oxfordshire County Library;[33] police kept the two groups separated.[33] Also in August 2022, a drag show featuring Matthew Cavan performing as drag queen Cherri Ontop in Belfast was the target of a protest.[31] Flyers promoting protests to drag performances in the UK are shared in anti-vaccination themed Telegram groups.[30]

Canada

On November 23, 2022, people protested a drag storytelling event in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver.[34] On November 25, 2022, people protested outside a Hamilton Public Library facility.[21] The next day, Book Keeper independent book shop in Sarnia, was protested by men as it hosted its fourth Drag Queen Story Time event.[35] Also in November 2022, an event at Kelseys Original Roadhouse in Burlington, featuring Guelph drag queen Crystal Quartz was canceled following threats made towards the restaurant.[36]

On December 19, 2022, fourteen protestors gathered outside Brockville Public Library in Ontario as it held its first Drag Story Time event.[37] The protestors were met by counter-protestors, which included the library's CEO.[37] Police searched the library for explosive devices after a threat was uttered.[37]

Twice in December 2022, protestors interrupted drag performances at the Britbar venue in Penticton BC, and at DunnEnzies restaurant in BC's Okanagan.[38][39]

Finland

Central library Oodi of the Finnish capital Helsinki arranged a drag queen story hour related to the Helsinki Pride Festival in July 2022. The performer, nicknamed Gaylien 2000 refused to reveal their true identity. Circa 25-30 protesters demonstrated and conducted speeches in front of the library, after which some of them entered the library trying to block the event, resulting in a large police operation. The performer had been accused of paedophilia and threatened online before the event.[40][41]

See also

Notes
  1. [1][2][3][4][5]

References
  1. Stack, Liam (June 6, 2019). "Drag Queen Story Hour Continues Its Reign at Libraries, Despite Backlash". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  2. Laitner, Bill. "Drag Queen Storytime draws small but noisy protest to Huntington Woods". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  3. LaFleur, Elizabeth. "Drag Queen Story Hour: Event goes on during protest and counter-protest outside". The Greenville News. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. "Matt Walsh on drag queen for kids at the library". Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. Leeman, Jonathan (September 23, 2019). "Bringing the Apocalypse to Drag Queen Story Hour". providencemag.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  6. "StackPath". xtramagazine.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  7. Miller, Adam (November 18, 2021). "Drag Race UK's Bimini Bon Boulash is sick of daytime TV's 'agenda with gender'". Metro. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  8. "UPDATED GLAAD Report: Drag events faced at least 141 protests and significant threats in 2022". GLAAD. November 21, 2022. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  9. "Drag queen panic: How a homophobia-fueled disinformation campaign nearly canceled one city's Pride celebration". Reckon. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  10. "The fabulous history of drag". BBC Bitesize. 2019. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  11. "The moral panic around drag makes even less sense in the UK's pantomime season | MR Online". mronline.org. December 22, 2022. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  12. Blade, Special to the LA (October 20, 2022). "Matt Walsh: Police need to "break down the doors" of drag shows". Los Angeles Blade: LGBTQ News, Rights, Politics, Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  13. Olivier, Indigo (December 27, 2022). "Transphobe of the Year: Matt Walsh". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  14. "Fox spent more time attacking trans people and drag queens than it did covering the second January 6 hearing". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
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  20. Brend, Yvette (December 15, 2022). "Drag storytimes have become a target of hate. Why some families love them anyway". CBC. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  21. Ottenhof, Luke (November 29, 2022). "'I don't feel safe': Ontario drag performers reckon with heightened risk". www.tvo.org. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  22. "What is "Grooming?" The Truth Behind the Dangerous, Bigoted Lie Targeting the LGBTQ+ Community | ADL". www.adl.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  23. Simpson, Katie (December 8, 2022). "As drag shows in the U.S. are increasingly targeted, the community fears violence". CBC. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  24. Hayden, Michael Edison (June 14, 2022). "FAR-RIGHT INFLUENCERS HYPED COEUR D'ALENE PRIDE BEFORE PATRIOT FRONT SHOWED UP". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  25. "Tennessee governor signs first-of-its-kind bill restricting drag shows". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  26. "Tennessee curbs trans treatment and drag for children". British Broadcasting Corporation. March 2, 2023. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  27. Bacallao, Marianna (March 2, 2023). "Gov. Bill Lee signs into law a ban on drag shows. Performers say it's too subjective". wpln.org. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
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  29. Aldridge, James (July 26, 2022). "Police stationed outside library amid protests over Drag Queen storybook event". Reading Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  30. John, Tara (August 4, 2022). "Drag queen storytime in England promotes compassion and inclusion. British far-right extremists are importing US hate against them". Cable News Network. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
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  32. Malloy, Tomas (October 23, 2022). "Dozens protest as library hosts drag queen event for children". Somerset Live. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  33. "Supporters and protesters turn out at Oxford drag queen kids' storytime". British Broadcasting Corporation. August 23, 2022. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  34. Marsten, Emily (November 26, 2022). "Emotions flare as protestors gather outside drag queen story time event in Kitsilano". CityNews. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  35. Janzer, Stacey (December 13, 2022). "Protests won't stop Drag Queen Story Time in Sarnia, bookstore owner says". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  36. Charaani, James (December 6, 2022). "Guelph drag queen sees all-ages shows targeted by social media campaigns". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  37. Peddigrew, Ryan (December 19, 2022). "Opposing protest groups clash outside Brockville, Ont. drag event". Global News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  38. Wasney, Jayden (December 9, 2022). "Second drag show disrupted by protestors in one week in the Okanagan". Global News. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  39. White, Cindy (December 8, 2022). "Police disperse protest against drag show at DunnEnzies in Kelowna". Castanet. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  40. https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008921143.html
  41. https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/mielenosoittajat-yrittivat-estaa-drag-artistin-vetaman-lasten-satuhetken-oodissa-kasittamatonta-etta-tehdaan-olkiukko-mita-vastaan-hyokataan/8461584
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