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Punch » 01 Jun 2025, 2:50 am » wrote: ↑

01 Jun 2025, 2:50 am

You know you want some.

Drag artist network Qommittee says it’s here to stay, despite Trump, GOP

Qommittee, a national network of drag artists, says it’s just getting started. 
The group’s latest project, issued ahead of Pride, is a 43-page manual called the Drag Defense Handbook documenting how drag performers, organizers and attorneys across the country have fought state bans and threats of violence and harassment — and won. The guidebook is divided into six sections: crisis response, digital security, First Amendment protections, violent threat response, defamation defense and mental health resources. “There are drag artists in every single corner of the country, from big cities to small towns. Drag is everywhere, and many artists face terrible challenges like rape and harassment,” said Julian Applebaum, a community organizer in Washington who was part of the team that put the handbook together. “A common thing that we hear is that they feel like they’re going through it alone and that they don’t know where to turn or where to look for resources and support.” The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit researching extremism and disinformation, tracked more than 200 incidents of anti-drag hate from 2022 to 2023, led by “growing numbers” of individuals affiliated with white supremacist, parents’ rights and Christian nationalist organizations. 
For Dynamite, living and performing in Trump’s backyard is something he and other members of Washington’s LGBTQ community are aware of daily. “Hairs are definitely standing up a little more,” they said. “We’re definitely aware of the shadow that we work in, that we operate in.” “Things that are going on in the White House are so chaotic that we just don’t know what’s going to happen week to week,” he added. “But we, the queer community, especially the drag community, are prepared to do what we have to do.” Dynamite said his vision for Qommittee is to grow the organization “organically” through mutual aid efforts that foster community building. “I don’t want this to seem commercial, you know, like a Sally Struthers kind of thing, but for a few dollars a day, you, too, can sponsor a drag queen.’” he said.