Abstract
Groomers. Pedophiles. Sexual Predators. All these words and phrases represent an age-old campaign by conservatives and right-wing politicians to persecute the LGBTQ+ community and stoke an unfounded fear amongst their base that LGBTQ+ people are harmful to children. In recent years, conservatives have focused these narratives on specific subsets of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly drag artists and performers. This has resulted in a significant backlash against the drag community in the form of protests, violence, and criminalization of drag performers. Rather than turning drag performers into a scapegoat for conservative politicians’ own ineptitude, our society should holistically embrace and support the drag community. To achieve this, this Note examines the legal and social history of drag within the United States. These historical examinations reveal parallels between past and present discourses around persecuting drag, gender expression, and the broader LGBTQ+ community. To rectify today’s situation, a range of policy and legal reforms must be undertaken including increased public funding, broader community support for drag performers, early education on LGBTQ+ history and culture, and overturning unconstitutional restrictions on drag.
Recommended Citation
Zackary W. Harris,
Shantay You Stay: Keeping Kids at Drag Shows,
32 J. L. & Pol'y
123
(2024).
Available at:
https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/jlp/vol32/iss1/4