Barbada de Barbades reading books to children at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec in 2018.

The drag panic (also called drag queen panic or anti-drag hysteria) is a moral panic that stems from the belief that drag, when exposed to minors, can be harmful, due to its perception as sexual in nature.[1][2][3]

The panic, which had been building for a number of years, became more prominent in 2022,[4] arising in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and in other countries in a series of rallies and counter-rallies related to drag queens reading children's books at storytime events to children.[5] Throughout 2022, there were at least 141 incidents of protests and harassment towards drag events in the United States.[6]

Background

Drag queen arrested in NYC, 1962

See also: History of drag

Throughout much of the early-twentieth century, drag performances in the United States were criminalized under cross dressing laws.[7] In fact, the 1969 Stonewall Riots began after the New York City Police Department sought to arrest violators of New York's cross-dressing law (which required individuals to wear at least three articles of clothing of their assigned sex).[8]

As such laws were relaxed in the second half of the 20th century, drag appeared in works of wide popular relevance, such as Some Like It Hot (1959), The Birdcage (1996) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).[9] In the early 21st century, the art of drag continued to gain popularity and went mainstream, such as via RuPaul's Drag Race,[10] Queen of the Universe,[11] and Drag Den.[12]

Due to the attention paid to the phenomenon on the rise in 2019, right-wing figures such as Chaya Raichik,[13] Matt Walsh,[14][15] Tucker Carlson,[16] Michael Knowles,[17] Dennis Prager,[18] Candace Owens,[19] and Ben Shapiro,[20] began to link drag queens to the LGBT grooming conspiracy theory, calling to limit their visibility.[17][21][22] In subsequent years, some of the states of the United States of America (with a Republican majority)[23][24] proposed and approved various laws with the aim of limiting the performances of drag queens in public.[25][26][27]

Timeline

United States

People protesting against Drag Queen Story Hour in 2022.

Protests against drag performances, especially Drag Queen Story Hour, increased after the 2021 attacks at the United States Capitol.[28] The most vocal opponents are mostly affiliated with alt-right groups.[28] Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested that drag events could "indoctrinate or sexualize" children.[28] Protestors also have expressed concern about homophobic conspiracy theories that performers are grooming children.[29][30] The Anti-Defamation League reported that child abuse conspiracy theory has been fueled by the Libs of TikTok, a far-right Twitter account.[30]

LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD reported over 120 threats against drag shows in the US, throughout 2022.[31] According to a 2022 GLAAD analysis of United States media, social media, and news coverage, as of December 14, 2022, there had been at least "141 incidents in 2022 of anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting specific drag events, including during Pride festivities and false rhetoric against performers deployed in campaign ads for the midterm elections."[32] The report also stated incidents included "armed white supremacists demonstrating in Texas and the firebombing of a Tulsa donut shop that had hosted a drag event in October."[32]

A January 2023 report by the Anti-Defamation League, titled "Online Amplifiers of Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism" noted groups involved in protests against drag shows included Gays Against Groomers, Blaze Media, the Texas Family Project, Defend Our Kids Texas, and the Aryan Freedom Network.[33]

In May 2023, masked neo-Nazi groups in Ohio protested a drag event in Columbus, carrying anti-drag and anti-trans banners, such as one that read, "there will be blood."[34][35]

In May 2023 Montana became the first state in the United States to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries regardless of the sexual significance of the event.[25][36]

In mid-June 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."[37] On June 11, 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.[38]

In July 2023, Kristi Maris, a schoolteacher of nineteen years, was fired from her job at the First Baptist Academy in Baytown, Texas after posting a picture of herself attending a drag show at Hamburger Mary's in Houston on Facebook with the caption, "This was such a blast!!!!". The email that Maris received from the school about the termination of her job claimed that she had breached the school's operating policies manual, which stated that employees "will act in a godly and moral fashion at work, on Facebook and in (the teachers') community".[39]

Tennessee drag ban

Main article: Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act

On March 2, 2023, Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed the Tennessee Senate Bill 3 to equate drag queen performances with sexual performers.[40] This bill sparked outrage throughout the United States, including politicians and drag queens.[41] Subsequently, a 1977 photo emerged of Lee dressed in drag in the company of minors.[42][43] The ban was later ruled unconstitutional in June 2023 in federal district court.[44]

United Kingdom

In July 2022, right-wing groups protested Drag Queen Story Hour at Reading Central Library in Berkshire.[45][46] The event featured Sab Samuel performing in drag as Aida H Dee.[47] Subsequent protests occurred in Crewe, Bristol,[46] and at Glastonbury Public Library.[48] In August 2022, 50 protestors were met with about 300 counter-protestors outside a drag event at Oxfordshire County Library;[49] police kept the two groups separated.[49] The same month, a drag show featuring Matthew Cavan performing as drag queen Cherri Ontop in Belfast was the target of a protest.[47] Flyers promoting protests to drag performances in the UK are shared in anti-vaccination themed Telegram groups.[46]

Canada

On November 23, 2022, people protested a drag storytelling event in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver.[50]. The next day, Book Keeper independent book shop in Sarnia, was protested by men as it hosted its fourth Drag Queen Story Time event.[51] 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.[52]

On December 19, 2022, fourteen protestors gathered outside Brockville Public Library in Ontario as it held its first Drag Story Time event.[53] The protestors were met by counter-protestors, which included the library's CEO.[53] Police searched the library for explosive devices after a threat was uttered.[53]

Twice in December 2022, protestors interrupted drag performances at the Britbar venue in Penticton, British Columbia, and at DunnEnzies restaurant in British Columbia's Okanagan.[54][55]

Events in January, February, March, May, and June 2023 by performer Betty Baker were protested at the Peterborough Public Library in Ontario by Kevin Goudreau, Save Canada, and other individuals. On all occasions protesters were outnumbered by counter-protesters.

Finland

Helsinki Central Library Oodi arranged a drag queen story hour in conjunction with to the Helsinki Pride festival on 1 July 2022. The performer, nicknamed Gaylien 2000, declined to reveal their true identity. Around 25-30 protesters demonstrated and conducted speeches in front of the library, after which some of them entered the library in an attempt to block the event. This prompted a large police response. The performer had been accused of paedophilia and threatened online before the event.[56][57]

Cultural center Malmitalo in Helsinki planned to view a documentary named Drag Kids during a festival in 2023. The event was cancelled due to a significant security threat. The documentary contained scenes where very young children danced in front of an adult audience receiving money for exchange, which Children's Ombudsman Elina Pekkarinen considered inappropriate and sexualizing.[58]

France

In 2023, a reading story hour activity in Toulouse was cancelled due to protests on social media by extremists.[59]

Media

Following the origin of the drag panic and the consequent restrictive legislation on the subject, various telethons have been organized on the subject, such as Drag Isn't Dangerous, which featured numerous drag queens, including contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as actors and comedians such as Margaret Cho, Leslie Jones, Ts Madison, Amy Schumer, and Charlize Theron.[60]

See also

References

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  3. ^ Vognar, Chris (May 3, 2023). "Drag is under attack in Texas—but not at this Houston theater". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  4. ^ 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.
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