RuPaul is speaking out. The drag icon and face of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” franchise shared an official statement regarding the various Republican-backed anti-drag and anti-trans bills sprouting up across the nation.
In a video uploaded to Instagram, the Emmy Award-winning host, producer and performer directly addressed fans while standing in front of an American flag. Referring to these bills as “distraction techniques,” RuPaul said, “Hey, look over there! A classic distraction technique, distracting us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on: jobs, healthcare, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school.”
“But we know that bullies are incompetent at solving real issues,” RuPaul continued. “They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective. They think our love, our light, our laughter and our joy are signs of weakness. But they’re wrong because that is our strength.”
RuPaul then referred to drag queens as “Marines of the queer movement,” saying, “Don’t get it twisted and don’t be distracted. Register to vote so we can get these stunt queens out of office and put some smart people with real solutions into government. And by the way, a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote.”
In this month alone, new anti-drag legislation has come to fruition in states like Tennessee, Kentucky and Montana. On March 3, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that seeks to ban “adult cabaret” performances “on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.”
RuPaul joins a chorus of celebrities speaking out against these bills, including “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Bob the Drag Queen, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, LeBron James and Gabrielle Union.
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