Drag artist network Qommittee says it's here to stay, despite Trump, GOP [View all]
Source: The Hill
05/31/25 6:00 AM ET
A year after launching, 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 bomb threats 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 document, he said, “is made by and for the community, so that the next drag artist who gets threatened isn’t starting from scratch to figure out how to defend themselves.” In 2023, advocacy organization GLAAD said it recorded more than 160 anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting drag events over the past year, including bomb threats and demonstrations led by members of extremist groups.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit researching extremism and disinformation, tracked more than 200 instances of anti-drag hate from 2022 to 2023, led by “growing numbers” of individuals affiliated with white supremacist, parents’ rights and Christian nationalist organizations.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/5326138-drag-queens-artist-network-qommittee/
Link to Qommittee HANDBOOK website - The Drag Defense Handbook
Link to HANDBOOK (PDF viewer) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BDYx-EcwxFr5E04eaE-cmZbRPbC5ACws/view?usp=sharing
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