Based on a report, after the horrific shooting at an LGBTQ+ venue in Colorado last month, a few of America’s most famous drag queens are employing additional security precautions such as armed security guards and body scanners during events.
Drag Industry Takes Threat Seriously
Yvie Oddly, the victor of season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as a resident of Colorado, stated to NBC News that her production business informed her this week that they had requested more security officers to monitor her performances and will inspect the public for firearms.
The business wrote in an email that it is regrettable that the globe has reached this point, but customer safety and the security of the towns you visit are their top priorities.
Jinkx Monsoon, a two-time Drag Race champion, stated that she has hired armed security personnel to protect her since the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, which occurred during a Drag Divas night.
Sad & frustrating to deal with this kind of fear while providing such joyous form of entertainment.
US drag queens turn to armed guards and metal detectors after Club Q shooting https://t.co/3eWGih22Nn
— Ms. J 🇵🇭 (@citizenjudie) December 2, 2022
On Guard Against Violence
The body count of five could have been higher if not for the actions of two customers who subdued the suspect and others who assisted in his subduing or cared for gravely injured acquaintances. The attack prompted renewed calls for stricter gun safety laws in the United States.
Monsoon told NBC that they’re trying to grin and bring joy to others for the festive season, but in the back of their minds, they’re thinking, ‘I pray I don’t get killed.’
Six years following one of the most deadly shootings in U.S. history—the slaughter of 49 individuals at the Pulse LGBTQ+ club in Orlando, Florida—she had already increased security measures prior to this most recent massacre.
Several of the most famous drag queens in the United States told NBC that physical assaults, political language, and regulations implemented by notable personalities have tempered their vivacious stage identities.
The very sad reality we are now living in. As entertainers we want to create a fun & safe environment for everyone yet our nations hateful underbelly & lack of gun regulations makes us all have to be on alert at all times. https://t.co/BcnEXnKAD8
— Marti (@MartiGCummings) December 1, 2022
Homeland Security Issues Warning
Even as Congress moves to enact legislation formalizing same-sex marriages in the United States with nonpartisan backing, the Department of Homeland Security cautioned previously this week in a terrorism warning notice that the LGBTQI+ community is a possible target of terrorism.
Drag has existed for millennia, but its popularity increased after transgender individuals and drag queens played a significant role in the Stonewall rebellion and rioting in New York City, which inaugurated the contemporary homosexual rights movement in the United States.
Latrice Royale, who has been performing drag for three decades, stated that the culture had become a target due to the increase in prominence of drag via TV talent shows, with RuPaul’s show sparking spin-offs in 16 other nations.
Drag Popularity Comes With Danger
Royale told NBC that in previous years, when drag wasn’t so popular and featured on every tv station, in the press, and during the day, they were underground.
Now, drag brunches and library story sessions are popular, but they are also under siege.
The drag queen Alaska stated that she had increased security surrounding her performances and that police vehicles had been deployed nearby to monitor for violence.
