Drag queens are the new ultraconservative obsession. In recent weeks, there have been countless demonstrations of hostility towards them. In Lakeland (Florida), a dozen men with Nazi flags gathered at the entrance to a charity gala featuring drag queens accusing them of being “pedophiles sick with AIDS”. In June in Dallas (Texas), in front of a bar which had organized a brunch for families with a transvestite show, a dozen demonstrators chanted “Christ is king”.
Long confined to gay nightclubs, shows featuring men dressed as women with elaborate makeup and extravagant outfits have become very popular in the United States, including in rural counties. This is largely due to the success since 2009 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality TV show that puts drag queens in competition. Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the House of Representatives Democrats, came to the set twice and several of the participants became stars. You see them everywhere: in ads for McDonald’s and in fashion shows. The State Department has even allocated a grant for shows abroad, for example in Ecuador, featuring transvestites, with the aim of “promoting diversity and inclusion”.
The far-right crusade has finally convinced some conservatives that the drag queen phenomenon is going too far. They are particularly upset against “An hour of stories with a drag queen”. This program launched in 2015 in San Francisco, and which has spread throughout the country, invites transvestite individuals to read books to children in libraries or fairs. The idea is to entertain them and educate them about diversity. Opponents accuse them of “sexualizing and indoctrinating” kids. In June, a group of Proud Boys, a far-right armed militia, stormed into a California library while reading, yelling homophobic slurs. One of the militiamen wore a T-shirt on which was written: “Kill your local pedophile”.
Since then, incidents have multiplied, fueled by social networks including the Libs of TikTok Twitter account, which conveys anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to its 1.6 million followers. followers. In October in Oregon, 200 people, some armed with semi-automatic rifles, clashed outside a pub where a children’s reading was taking place. As a security measure, more and more events are canceled like in Columbus (Ohio), after the arrival of about fifty Proud Boys in military uniform and armed.
The risk of a culture war
This sudden outcry can be explained by “legislative advances, in particular the 2015 anti-discrimination laws in favor of transgender people, affirms Don Haider-Markel, professor of political science at the University of Kansas. ‘a group records a political success, there is a backlash. The Republican Party also knows that to mobilize its troops, nothing beats a culture war, such as opposing transgender athletes. [NDLR : ces sportives nées de sexe masculin participent aux compétitions féminines], neutral toilets or books on LBGTQ in schools. “The Republicans see it as a promising theme, continues the professor. The targets are easy because they are visible.” But these attacks are part of a larger offensive. More than 200 anti-LGBTQ bills (including eight to reduce access to drag shows) have been introduced this year. A record.
The battle stirs up tension. In Taylor, a city in Texas, the population was torn because the pastors opposed the presence of drag queens in the Christmas parade. The municipality found a compromise: following the religious parade, it organized another one, open to all. More seriously, the climate of violence is increasing. Faced with the explosion of death threats, some of the cabaret stars have hired bodyguards. In mid-November, a gunman broke into a gay club in Colorado where a transvestite show was taking place. He fired into the crowd and killed five people.