UGLA’s August 2023 President’s Message

There’s no doubt that the LGBTQ+ community is under attack, specifically the hateful and baseless attacks on Drag Queens.

They are actually the long-time heroes of the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. It was Drag Queens and others who faced off against the New York Police Department at Stonewall. It was Drag Queens, across the nation, who lived their lives onstage and pulled down barriers by flaunting their talents to help demystify gay lives.

Attacking Drag Queens has become fair game in too many places in our country. In addition, there are two other issues currently being exploited by individual bigots and dangerous hate groups:

• The Supreme Court sided with a web designer in Colorado who said she had a First Amendment right to refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples despite a state law that forbids discrimination against gay people. The majority in a 6-3 vote, said that
  the First Amendment protected the designer from being compelled to express views she opposed.
• Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, have specifically criticized landmark civil rights cases that legalized marriage and private consensual sex. They described
  the court’s 2015 decision on marriage equality as putting “a novel constitutional right over the religious liberty interests explicitly protected in the First Amendment.”
• Drag shows have become the latest target of conservative criticism, as many anti-drag bills have been introduced in at least fifteen states. Language across the numerous bills is similar to a recently enacted Tennessee bill, which prohibits “adult cabaret performances” in public places where minors could watch. “Adult cabaret” is defined as “adult-oriented performances” that include “male or female impersonators.”

Last month in UGLA’s LGBTQ+ News we had a report about a confrontation at Pickle’s drag presentation in an Eagle Rock library. Here is more information from various news sources: “Grooming” is a term strongly associated with child sexual abuse; it refers to a process or set of behaviors adults use to make it easier to introduce and complete sexual interactions with a child.

“Talking about gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom would not be grooming,
because it is done without the intent to sexually abuse a child, experts say. Experts in psychology and child development are not aware of any evidence showing that increased exposure to LGBTQ+ people or topics makes children more likely to join the LGBTQ+ community. Instead, it is likely an environment of increased acceptance allows people to more openly consider whether they might be part of the LGBTQ+ Community.

“This narrative is rooted in past anti-gay movements. The weaponization of the term “grooming” is tied to a history of longstanding false claims that gay, lesbian, and bisexual people — and men in particular — molest children at higher rates than people who are not LGBTQ.

“Lately, drag has been dragged through the mud. The art form has been cast in a false light in recent months by right-wing activists and politicians who complain about the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children. Opponents often coordinate protests at drag events that feature or cater to children, sometimes showing up with guns. Some politicians have proposed banning children from drag events and even criminally charging parents who take their kids to one.

“Drag performance is not a form of grooming, and drag performers are not pedophiles. Are there groomers and sexual offenders within LGBTQ communities? Of course, but not at the rates of heterosexual populations. The current sociopolitical talk of conservatives to try to remain relevant in the upcoming presidential election is grasping at straws. Targeting drag and trans demographics as sources of harm for United States children is a smoke-and-mirrors attempt to deflect responsibility for the abuse being uncovered in conservative value-based institutions like churches and Boy Scouts.”

Despite the progress that we’ve made thru the years, we need to again fight the right-wing forces. We have built strong alliances and we know that hate mongers attack those who are most vulnerable. However, an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We’re here, we’re the LGBTQ+ community. Get used to it!