After members of the Proud Boys stormed her Drag Queen Story Hour in June, Panda Dulce bought a baseball bat. Supporters gave her pepper spray. She took a martial arts class.
Dulce,
who identifies as bigender, wasn’t taking any chances as she faced a
barrage of death threats. The far-right extremists bursting into the San
Lorenzo, Calif., library and shouting anti-trans and anti-gay insults
had traumatized her enough.
Little has been the same for her since then.
“I
definitely don’t move through the world the same way I did before,”
said Dulce, 34, who spoke with The Post on the condition that only her
stage name be used because she feared for her safety.
Since
the incident, Dulce has started traveling to venues with other drag
artists for protection. She changed her passwords in case someone tried
to hack into her online accounts. She couldn’t sleep for months, with
every noise in her home driving her to lunge for the bat near her bed.
Suddenly
in the spotlight, it felt as if every aspect of Dulce’s life were being
picked apart by people determined to prove she was a threat to what
they view as the nation’s traditional culture. She started scrutinizing
everything she said, even when she wasn’t in public.
Dulce
believes systemic change is necessary to combat extremists, and the
experience underscored her lack of faith in the legal system. She sees
it as designed to protect the perpetrators of hate crimes, rather than
the victims.
So,
recently, she went to a shooting range to learn how to protect herself.
She was comforted by the fact that a fellow queer person of color
taught her how to fire. But Dulce hated the feeling that she had to pick
up a gun to feel safe amid the violence directed at her.
“Even the measures you take to be safe, you have to immerse yourself in this weird, paranoid world,” she said.
Despite
the stress, Dulce refuses to hide. She’s still performing, she said,
while she and members of her LGBTQ community work to protect one
another.
“We’re not just passively awaiting violence,” Dulce said. “We’ve had to be resilient before, and we have the skills.”
Con
artist, grifter, moocher and neo Nazi Zelinsky greeted the President of
the United States in a track suit. He addressed Congress in the same
track suit. C.I. offered "Moocher" yesterday. Others are objecting and here's one via NEWSWEEK:
Shadi
Hamid, author and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution,
tweeted: "Serious question: Why exactly should Zelensky be wearing a
suit? He doesn't wear a suit in Ukraine, so it's unclear why he would
wear one in the U.S."
Why
should he wear a suit? It would have been fitting for him to wear a
suit. C.I. had offered just a shirt with a collar and to wear a tie
with the shirt. I'm sorry that Shadi Hamid doesn't understand decorum.
Or that he pretends not to. He does wear a tie to the office. He does
wear a tie when he knows he's posing for the camera. So I think Shadi
does get it.
It's
disrespectful to show up and address Congress like that. It is
disrespectful to meet the President like that. He's been happy to take
our tax dollars (and to demand even more). It is disrespectful, don't
pretend otherwise.
Thursday, December 22, 2022. Hate merchants continue their attacks, an
LGBTQ+ activist takes their own life, the hate merchants expand their
war on drag queens, and much more.
Last week, the House Oversight and Reform Committee, chaired
by US House Rep Carolyn Maloney, held a hearing entitled "The Rise of
Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the United States." The hearing
was held due to the rise in violence aimed at the LGBTQ+ community which
includes last month's Club Q shooting. The shooting left five people dead:
Daniel Davis Aston, 28
Kelly Loving, 40
Ashley Paugh, 35
Derrick Rump, 38
Raymond Green Vance, 22
The shooting also left twenty-five people injured.
US
House Rep Mondaire Jones: As I said on the floor of the House during
the debate on the equality act [Respect for Marriage Act], to grow up
poor, Black and gay is to not see yourself anywhere. It is also to feel
completely unseen as so many people around you invalidate your very
existence. Growing up, like many people in this room, I suspect, I
watched as straight politicians -- many of them White, many of them men
-- used my basic human rights as a political football to further their
careers. And now, as the first openly gay Black member in this body,
I'm even more familiar with the vile, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that
terrorizes our community and that somehow is even more harmful when it's
aimed at queer people of color. Let me also just say, to amplify what
Representative Porter had discussed previously [see Friday's snapshot
for that exchange] that I and people on my team have also reported many
of these Twitter accounts that have hurled explicitly homophobic
insults at me in particular and have received e-mails stating that they
are not somehow in violation of Twitter's purported standards. So
clearly, there is something amiss at Twitter but I think many of us have
known that now for the past few months given the leadership changes.
Many of us are scared for our lives and rightfully so. LGBTQ Americans
know that gay bars and clubs are our sanctuaries for our communities to
gather without fear of being judged simply for being who they are. So
many of these spaces become second homes where we can experience the
full freedom to be ourselves. Such was the case for me. In my first
year of law school, I was still closeted. The gay bars of New York City
were the only place I could be my authentic self and those spaces
helped me to come out and to be the man -- the Congressman -- that I am
today. I cannot imagine my journey to self-acceptance and to
understanding without these sanctuaries which are now under assault.
The horrific mass shootings at Pulse Nightclub and at Club Q create fear
among LGBTQ Americans that gay bars and clubs -- these places of refuge
for members of our community -- are no longer safe. These attacks,
along side other acts of violence, against our community and the growing
chorus of hate and disinformation against LGBTQ people tell us that
over the past few years, this country has become a more dangerous place
for us to live unfortunately. Even those who simply provide services
essential to the physical and mental well being of members of our
community are under attack. Earlier this month, a doctor affiliated
with The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center in Boston faced
credible death threats for their role in providing gender affirming care
to transgender youth. The following day, The First Unitarian
Universalist Church in Columbus, Ohio was forced to cancel a family
friendly holiday themed Drag Queen story telling event after far right
extremists from the Proud Boys and the Patriot Front showed up to
protest armed with AR 14s, dressed in military gear, chanting far right
slogans and performing Nazi salutes. When leaders across the country --
including sitting members of Congress -- are peddling age old hateful
and false narratives about 'grooming' and pedophilia, these are the
types of people who show up in response. A recent Human Rights Campaign
report found that as Florida state government enacted its
discriminatory Don't Say Gay law, anti-LGBTQ misinformation surged by
over 400% on social media platforms. And worse, instead of condemning
this deadly wave of misinformation and hate, members of this body have
added fuel to the fire. In October of this year, Representative Mike
Johnson of Louisiana introduced his own Don't Say Gay bill to amplify
this hateful policy on a national scale and dozens of members of this
body co-sponsored that legislation. Shame on them. If enacted, Mr.
Johnson's heinous bill would, among other things, prohibit federally
funded schools from providing sex education or library books to children
under ten that include LGBTQ topics. In doing so, his bill would send a
message to LGBTQ children in the most vulnerable stage of their lives
that they are an "other" whose very existence society refuses to
recognize. It is hard, in closing, to listen to the stories of Club Q
and Pulse Nightclub survivors and not be in awe of their bravery and
resilience. So I thank you for your courage. I'm furious that our
community is forced to live again and again with this pain but I am
optimistic about the future of this country with your leadership.
Though
treated as minor by many outlets (even more of which ignored the
hearing) this was not a minor topic or a topic that's fading. Hate
merchants are only increasing their attacks and those outlets who ignore
it -- sadly, that includes many supposedly 'left' outlets -- are just
as guilty as the hate merchants.
It's never
enough for hate merchants. It's not enough to demonize, it's not enough
to attack, they want to erase. I'm copying pasting part of what I
wrote at Elaine's site last night.
At
5 Points Diner & Bar in Nashville, Tenn., drag performer Veronika
Electronika can often be seen strutting between brunch tables. Her big
hair, glitzy outfits and quick wit keep patrons on their toes.
Veronika’s
lighthearted performances are a staple of Tennessee’s drag scene, but
on a recent Saturday in December, she abruptly stopped her show to
address a heavy subject: a proposed state bill seeking to ban drag acts —
like the one she was performing at that moment — from public view.
“If
that law passes, I would be committing a potential felony,” Veronika
said, as the audience booed the bill. “If you’re not a fan of that bill,
I highly suggest you contact your state legislator.”
Tennessee
is one of at least five states where Republican lawmakers are
considering bills to restrict drag performances. The measure, known as Senate Bill 3, was introduced by Tennessee Republican Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson in November.
“The
intent of the legislation is just to simply say that you cannot have
sexually explicit entertainment … in a public venue where kids might be
present,” Johnson said.
Can
you believe it? They like to, these hate merchants, insist that
there's no history of this or that right that LGBTQ+ Americans have
fought for. Their hate is astounding. But now, they're going after
drag performers and that's rather amazing when you consider America's
long history with drag. It predates the creation of the United States
and goes all the way back to ancient Greece. When William Shakespeare
was alive, female characters in his plays were portrayed by women. As
for the US, WIKIPEDIA notes:
The first person known to describe himself as "the queen of drag" was William Dorsey Swann, born enslaved in Hancock, Maryland, who in the 1880s started hosting drag balls in Washington, DC attended by other men who were formerly enslaved, and often raided by the police, as documented in the newspapers.[62] In
1896, Swann was convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail on the
false charge of "keeping a disorderly house" (euphemism for running a
brothel) and requested a pardon from the president for holding a drag ball (the request was denied).[62]
That's
a historical aspect that's not noted or recognized by many. In the US,
vaudeville was home to drag beginning in the late 1800s. When
vaudeville died out, drag performers appeared more and more in
nightclubs.
They
also appeared in TV shows and films. Milton Berle was infamous for
dressing up in drag on his 1950s TV program. Jim Bailey was a night
club performer whose drag act crossed over to TV. Successful TV shows
that he appeared on in drag included THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, THE TONIGHT
SHOW SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON, THE CAROL BURNETTE SHOW, HERE'S LUCY
(starring Lucille Ball, of course), and he performed as Barbra Streisand
at the 1977 Super Bowl, and the 1984 Winter Olympics. He also
impersonated Judy Garland (who became a friend and who he impersonated
onstage with her daughter Liza Minnelli for "The Judy and Liza Concert"
that played in Vegas and London), Phyllis Diller (on the episode of
HERE'S LUCY, when Phyllis can't make a charity event so Judy asks for
Jim's help),
1927 was when
Mae West's play THE DRAG debuted. Other well known representations in
media? VICTOR/VICTORIA -- yes, the Julie Andrews film; however, prior
to that it was also made in 1933, 1935 and 1957 -- the 1935 film was
entitled FIRST A GIRL and featured Anna Lee (known to millions for
playing Lila Quatermaine on GENERAL HOSPITAL as well as such films as
THE SOUND OF MUSIC and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?), SOME LIKE IT
HOT (possibly the greatest comedy film of all time), Ed Woods' GLEN OR
GLENDA, WHITE CHRISTMAS (yes, Bing Crosby did drag), THE ROCKY HORROR
PICTURE SHOW, John Waters' PINK FLAMINGOS and HAIRSPRAY, TOOTSIE,
NORBIT, the documentary PARIS IS BURNING, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY ITCH, THE
NUTTY PROFESSOR, BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE, WHITE CHICKS, HURRICANE BIANCA, Bob
Hope's THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE, Mike Nichols' THE BIRDCAGE . . .
We could go on and on.
So
if the hate merchants in Tennessee have their way, what does that mean
for film portrayals? Will they ban the movies from theaters? Will they
block out broadcasts of the films?
It's beyond stupid. There are real issues to address. Pouring hate on drag performers is neither a real issue nor a needed one.
Remember
who they have chosen to stand against -- performers not attempting to
harm anyone, performers following in the footsteps of Jim Bailey, Dustin
Hoffman, Divine, Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Nathan Lane, Bob Hope .
. . And what was good enough for the Olympics and the Super Bowl
apparently isn't good enough for Tennessee lawmakers.
Where
does it end? Where does the hate end, where does this urge to purge
end? Will Tennessee next attempt to outlaw Halloween? Where does it
end?
Preacher preaching love like vengeance
Preaching love like hate
Calling for large donations
Promising estates
Rolling lawns and angel bands
Behind the pearly gates
You know he will have his in this life
But yours will have to wait
He's immaculately tax free
"Multiple hundreds of thousands of..."
Tax free
"Hundreds and millions of dollars"
Tax free
"A hundred billion dollars!
And who is paying the price?
Who who
"Your children are"
Pissed off
Jacked up
Scream into the mike
Spit into the loving cup
Strut like a rooster
March like a man
God's hired hands and the devil bands
Packing the same grandstands
Different clothes
"Pot in their pockets!"
Different hair
"Sexually active"
Raise a screaming guitar
or a bible in the air
Theatre of anguish
Theatre of glory
God's hired hands and the devil bands
Oh come let us adore - ME!
Lord, there's danger in this land
You get witch-hunts and wars
When church and state hold hands
F**k it!
Tonight I'm going dancing
With the drag queens and the punks
Big beat deliver me
From this sanctimonious skunk
We're no flaming angels
And he's not heaven sent
How can he speak for the Prince of Peace
When he's hawk right militant
And he's immaculately tax free
== "Tax Free," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her DOG EAT DOG
All
they want to do is preach hate and they lie over and over. That's
Tucker Carlson, that's FOX NEWS. They went with a very sick individual
from England to trash transgender people. This is a man who says he no
longer wants to be a woman. This is a White man who has had multiple
surgeries to look like a Korean. This is a man who says that Korean men
have smaller penises so, he announced, he's going to get a penis
reduction. This is the 'sane' voice they brought on to attack the
transgender community and Oregon state. Oregon's laws make the age of
consent for surgery 15 -- that's for all surgeries. That's a state law
so you'd think FOX NEWS would be all for it. But they're not. Because
they're fake asses.
These hate merchants peddle their hate and it has real world implications.
Kentucky state Sen. Karen Berg (D) has asked for “tolerance and
grace” after the suicide of her 24-year-old transgender son, Henry
Berg-Brousseau. He died last Friday.
“This lack of acceptance took a toll on Henry,” Berg continued. “He long
struggled with mental illness, not because he was trans but from his
difficulty finding acceptance… This hate building across the country
weighed on him.”
“Henry spent his life working to extend
grace, compassion, and understanding to everyone, but especially to the
vulnerable and marginalized. This grace, compassion, and understanding
was not always returned to him,” the state senator said in a statement.
“On a daily basis at his job [as an LGBTQ+ rights advocate], Henry
would be aware of the hateful and vile anti-trans messaging being
circulated around this country and focused at his workplace,” she
continued. “In one of our last conversations, he wondered if he was safe
walking down the street.”
Berg mentioned her son’s trans identity in state senate speeches
against transphobic legislation, including a state law barring
transgender female athletes in middle school through college from
participating on school sports teams matching their gender identity. The
state’s Republican-led legislature passed the law, overriding a veto from Gov. Andy Beshear (D).
Human Rights Campaign issued the following statement:
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Human Rights
Campaign (HRC) honors the life of Henry Berg-Brousseau, HRC’s Deputy
Press Secretary, Politics. Henry was the son of Kentucky State Senator
Karen Berg and Bob Brousseau, a brother to Rachael Pass, and an
important and loved part of the HRC family. He will be greatly missed by
his colleagues, his family, and his friends. His full obituary can be
found here and a statement from his mother here.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson issued the following statement, remembering Henry:
“Losing Henry is an unfathomable loss to the Human Rights
Campaign family. Henry was a light – deeply passionate, deeply engaged,
and deeply caring. His colleagues will always remember his hunger for
justice, his eagerness to pitch in, his bright presence and his
indelible sense of humor. He could always be counted on to volunteer for
a project, hit send on a press release from wherever in the world he
was, or share a kind word in the elevator up to his office.
“Henry was first and foremost a fighter and an advocate. He was
fighting for transgender rights as a teenager in Kentucky, far earlier
than he should have had to. As part of his job at HRC, he faced down
anti-transgender vitriol every single day, and no one was more aware of
the harm that anti-transgender rhetoric, messaging, and legislation
could have on his community. He was brave. But, as Henry's mother
stated, ‘[t]he vitriol against trans people is not happening in a vacuum
...It has real-world implications for how transgender people view their
place in the world and how they are treated as they just try to live
their lives.’ It sadly impacted how Henry saw his own place in the
world.
“In honor of Henry’s life, we must come together and speak out
against injustice. We must fight for our transgender family. We must
celebrate his light, and honor him by continuing to fight for full
equality for all. Our thoughts are with his parents, his sister, his
entire family, and our whole community.”
Kelley Robinson, President, HRC
Memorial Contributions in honor of Henry Berg-Brousseau may
go to The Fairness Campaign, 2263 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206,
or The Trevor Project-Development, PO Box 69232, West Hollywood, CA
90069.
If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255. If you’re a young LGBTQ person and need to talk to someone, call The Trevor Project’s 24-hour crisis hotline for youth at 1-866-488-7386. If you are a transgender person of any age, call the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860.
Five Iraqi soldiers have been killed in two separate attacks in country’s north, amid a surge in violence by terrorists.
The
deadliest took place in Al Dibis, near the northern city of Kirkuk,
when a roadside bomb was detonated on Wednesday as an Iraqi army unit
passed, killing three soldiers and wounding two, including an officer, a
security official said.
Another
bomb exploded in the Makhmour area outside the northern city of Mosul
on the same day, killing two soldiers and wounding three, another
officer said.
