Drag PAC formed by famous queens to fight anti-LGBTQ legislation
Drag queens unite! Drag PAC is looking to challenge anti-trans laws and drag bans around the country.
It was founded by a number of RuPaul's Drag Race alums, including Willam Belli, Jinkx Monsoon, Miss Peppermint, Monét X Change and BenDeLaCreme, as well as Dylan Bulkeley-Krane, according to The Hill and KFOX-TV. Bulkeley-Krane previously co-founded Disability Action for America, a PAC dedicated to disability rights.
Drag PAC announced its existence Wednesday in a new YouTube video, where the queens involved spoke about why they were driven to found it.
“I think everyone is a little disheartened with a lot of our elected leadership, and frankly, our community is being assaulted, and it’s escalating to violence,” Jinkx Monsoon says in the clip.
"Our diversity is what drives democracy," BenDeLaCreme adds.
Read More: WATCH: Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair Flips Out at Drag Queens in Viral Clip
The queens say that Drag PAC is the first PAC to be led by drag performers. The goal is to "motivate the LGBTQ+ voter base to create a community of empowered and informed citizens that participate in the democratic process, amplifying the values and issues that affect them as unique but equal American citizens," according to the PAC's YouTube page.
Right now, the PAC's website is sparse, with the YouTube video, plus links to register to vote and to donate. The PAC has so far raised $15,000 from individuals, according to Open Secrets.
Anti-LGBTQ legislation is on the rise. Across the United States, there are at least 527 anti-LGBTQ bills currently pending, according to the ACLU, even in blue states like Washington and Oregon.
This year, Republican politicians like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have banned pride displays. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson added in an amendment to the recent government funding bill barring Pride flags from being flown at U.S. embassies.
Two states, Montana and Tennessee, explicitly ban drag performances, and four other states, including Texas and Florida, have laws that could be read as banning drag. Though some of these laws have been struck down as unconstitutional, it doesn't seem to stop anti-LGBTQ politicians from trying.
“A lot of this political rhetoric does have real life effects and consequences on people of multiple marginalized identities,” said Peppermint told the Hill. “Each time people who are attacking the queer community come back to the table it’s sharper, and stronger, and more impactful, and it hurts more each time.”
We’re in the middle of something historic,” Monet X Change told KFOX-TV. “This is the most important election cycle for queer people’s rights and freedoms in our lifetime.”