How the Far Right’s Obsession With Drag Is Impacting Queens

Whenever trans singer Queen Priyanka hears news about Republicans attacking drag queens, “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey starts playing in her head. Why? “Drag is so polarizing for the right because we embody everything they’re told not to be but secretly wish they could be,” she says. “All that noise, all that fighting, all those so-called rules — they’re just really crying for help, longing to express themselves.”

In recent years, the far right has targeted drag queens and shows, and the obsession has only been amplified during Donald Trump’s second campaign for president. Recently, a photo of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance dressed as a woman during his law school years went viral, which many found hypocritical considering his record on anti-LGBTQ legislation and hateful rhetoric towards queer folks. Lawmakers in red states like Tennessee, Texas, and Arizona have already banned or are pushing to restrict drag shows. Leading up to the presidential election, drag queens like Queen Priyanka say these Republican attacks continue to spread misinformation and fear within the queer community.

Republicans want us to believe they care about the future of children, but in reality, it’s the queer community that’s been making the world safer for them all along.

Though in reality, drag shows are a safe space for many people, according to queer advocate and influencer Madison Werner. “Drag shows began as, and continue to be, a safe place for young people in search of a home away from home,” she says. “The dire nature of our country’s socio-political landscape can feel so heavy that sometimes we need to make light of it and forget that our problems exist.” In her experience, most drag shows she’s attended have aimed to help people leave their problems at the door and focus on celebrating our human existence without worry. Plus, the costuming (often handmade by the drag artist), glam, and choreography showcase an elite art form that should be as revered as such.

So why are Republicans attacking drag queens? The tactic appeals to traditionalists who see drag as a threat to gender norms. Many conservatives conflate drag with the transgender identity and argue that these drag performances are sexualized. But Queen Priyanka sees Republicans’ fixation on drag as a way to distract people from the real harm they’re causing. “Republicans want us to believe they care about the future of children, but in reality, it’s the queer community that’s been making the world safer for them all along,” they say.

Queen Priyanka says Republicans’ rhetoric is directly impacting the drag world and queer community. “I feel less safe all the time,” they say. Nowadays, according to Queen Priyanka, people are more scared to go to queer bars, see their favorite drag queens, or even express themselves. “With an election, the hate amps up to 100 percent, but sadly, that’s a familiar feeling in day-to-day queer life.”

Gillian Branstetter, a communications strategist at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), notes that while all four statewide laws — in Tennessee, Texas, Montana, and Florida — restricting drag performances (passed in 2023) have been permanently blocked in court, no state legislature has enacted a new ban in 2024. “There are of course still some efforts to restrict drag performances and other forms of LGBTQ expression — particularly at the local level — and we’re certainly ready to defend drag from those.”

That’s becoming even clearer in the lead up to the presidential election, in which LGBTQ rights are at stake. Branstetter says her recent focus has been on defending health care for trans youth. “In just the last three years, 26 states have banned hormone treatments and other medical care for transgender youth and, this fall, the Supreme Court will hear our challenge against Tennessee’s ban,” she says.

Biblegirl, a drag queen and the season 13 winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” sees conservatives as capitalizing on hate and fear more than anything: “When there is no coherent policy or strategy laid out — their MO, in tandem with their inability to lay out actual policy plans, is to demonize marginalized communities across the board and weaponize the conditioned fear.” And this, Biblegirl says, is because Republicans aren’t familiar with the lived experience of drag queens and queer people.

While Biblegirl doesn’t necessarily feel less safe in her day-to-day life, she is hyper aware and vigilant of her safety while doing drag. But she’s determined to not let the rhetoric keep herself from doing drag. Her message to other drag queens? “Don’t stop doing drag in any form. If it is something which has provided fulfillment and happiness for you, don’t let bullies take that away.”

Queen Priyanka also reminds us that “queer people have power.” The only reason queer folks might feel powerless is because of the amplification of anti-LGBTQ+ discourse in the media. “We’re all more powerful than we realize — we just have to stick together and push for real change in this world,” she says. “It’s the only way.”

Sara Radin is a writer and publicist based in Philadelphia. Her writing on internet trends, style, youth culture, mental health, wellness culture, and identity has been published by The New York Times, Glamour, Self, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Allure, PS, and many others.