In the United States, drag queens in the sights of the reactionary lobby – Liberation

A law passed in Tennessee aims to restrict drag queen shows, in particular by prohibiting them to minors. A legislative offensive led by American conservatives, while similar texts are on the table in a dozen states.

Sunday February 26 in Maryland. A few dozen kilometers from Washington, a cloud of rainbow umbrellas is moving. LGBT+ activists stand around Olney Library, holding flags and umbrellas in the colors symbolic of their community. At the same time, inside the premises, a well-known meeting in the United States is in progress: a “drag-queen story hour”, or readings intended for children and interpreted by drag-queens.

Those rainbow umbrellas that wrap around the walls of the building are more than just support. They are manned by LGBT+ allies who have come to form a shield for the drag queens in attendance. With the aim of preventing – peacefully – anti-queer protesters from entering the library. «This is not amusing children, it’s ABUSING children ! [Ce n’est pas amuser les enfants, c’est ABUSER des enfants, ndlr]», can we read on the sign of one of them, opposed to the holding of the event.

A new attack in the image of recent American news. This week, echoing the impact of more conservative movements across the country, an anti-drag legislative proposal entered Tennessee law. Already voted in recent days by the two chambers of this southern state, the text was ratified Thursday by Governor Bill Lee – at the same time as another prohibiting gender affirmation therapies for minors.

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