“Towing is joy, but it is under attack. Our existence, our self-expression, our art – it's all under threat. And we've had enough.”
That's the opening salvo from Qommittee, a group of drag artists working together to protect and promote their art form, as its formation was announced ahead of June's LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
“We have always had to fight tooth and nail for our place in this world,” the group said in a press release on Wednesday. “But now we are also dealing with a tidal wave of hate – doxxing, intimidation, death threats, armed protests, bombings and even shootings.”
Qommittee consists of approximately ten drag artists from across the country who have directly or indirectly faced threats, intimidation or violence related to their art form. One of them involved bombing a site in Ohio; one performed at Club Q in Colorado Springs and helped victims the night of the shooting there that left five people dead; and one worked at Club Q and Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where a gunman killed 49 people in 2016.
Qommittee says its aim, among other things, is to connect drag performers and communities lacking local support with resources, including legal help and therapy. It can also help artists and venues navigate the business.
The group is already working to create dialogue between its members and local law enforcement agencies, organizers said.
“The Qommittee acts as a sort of central hub for other communities across the country, the performance communities across the country, to find resources to help them, whether it's negotiating with venues or… helping defend against the many protests against drag shows we have seen it,” said Qommittee president B Williams, a drag king who performs in Washington DC as Blaq Dinamyte.
In recent years, conservative activists and politicians have complained about what they call the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children by drag performers, often through popular drag story hours, in which performers read age-appropriate materials, or do drag brunches. whose locations generally warn customers about material unsuitable for children.
There is a lack of evidence that drag performers harm children. Just last week, a jury awarded more than $1 million to an Idaho artist who accused a far-right blogger of defaming him by falsely claiming he had exposed himself to a crowd that included children.
Yet the idea of drag as a threat has caught on as another form of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Opponents have even shown up to bring weapons to events. At least five states have passed laws in recent years that restrict executions in some way, but in some of them courts have stayed enforcement.
As Pride Month approaches, it's important to remember that drag is not only an art, but also an industry that promotes entrepreneurship and creates jobs, said community organizer Scott Simpson, who helped connect Qommittee members. The fans need to be involved too, he said.
“The time to really come together is now. The time to come together is when we experience joyful moments together,” said Simpson, who also works for the unaffiliated Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “I mean, drag is the revolution. And we want to keep the revolution going.”
