The Dallas Morning News spoke with several drag queens who performed at events targeted by protesters in the past several months. Here’s what they said, in their own words.
SALEM MOON, 27
She/her in drag; he/him out of drag
Performed at Roanoke drag show
“I definitely feel a little bit of hesitancy depending on where I perform now. But that’s not going to stop me from like spreading the art I do, spreading the love and being prideful of who I am. And I just want to prove to people in whatever way I can that we can’t be hiding in the shadows anymore. We can’t be afraid to put on the shows and be afraid to go there because at the end of the day, that’s what they want. They want us to stop.”
CRYSTAL WHITNEY, 24
She/her in drag; he/him out of drag
Performed at Denton drag show
“These people are relentless. They’re always going to be saying something. I wish their accounts would get taken down for hate speech. But at the same time, I think if I am able to share my opinion they should be able to share their opinion, even if they’re full of hate.”
SHASTA MONTANA, 23
She/her in drag; he/him out of drag
Performed at Arlington drag show
“For me, [drag] was just another avenue of expression and when the news started popping up, like, people protesting, I was just like, ‘I’m just trying to have a good time and I make some money out of this. Why do you want to take everything from me?’”
BRANDI WILLIAMS, 30
She/her; transgender woman
Performed at Pflugerville drag show
“Drag shows are not hurting anyone. If anything, they’re helping people escape from their lives. There’s no need to feel threatened by us. We’ve been here. We’re going to be here. We’re not hurting anybody, Please, let us live our lives.”
