On March 3, Tennessee became the first US state to ban public drag performances
Dallas, US — Daphne Rio had been performing a weekly drag brunch at a Dallas cafe for nearly a year when a couple slipped in, snapped a slew of pictures then slipped straight back out.
It was just one small piece in an escalating culture war fragmenting the US, setting advocates of LGBTQ rights and free expression against those who say drag acts are immoral and can corrupt, with the young feared most at risk. Many drag queens now say they can make a career out of an art form that historically lived underground.
Rio’s show went off without a hitch, but she has since started telling her audience to look out for anything “off”.“Drag is a safe space. Even though it is my job, it has always been a safe space for me. So, I want everyone else to feel the same,” Rio said. Multiple bills concerning drag acts seek to include them under the definition of “sexually oriented businesses”.
In December, a group of at least 10 men gathered at one library in Fall River, Massachusetts, behind a banner saying “drag queens are paedophiles”, according to a video the group NSC 131 posted online. Moore said she had trouble sleeping in the following days and was scared to go out in public alone for weeks.BenDeLaCreme, stage name of Benjamin Putnam, has been in the drag industry for more than two decades and has starred in two seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Her name is shortened as DeLa.
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