As puritanical politicians continue their crusade of dullness against drag performers, the Los Angeles LGBT Center plans to brighten the City of Angels’ spirits for Easter (many puritanical politicians’ favorite holiday) this weekend with what they’re calling Drag March LA: The March on Santa Monica Blvd.
The rally starts at 10 a.m. and will sashay down Santa Monica from West Hollywood City Hall to West Hollywood. More than 40 LGBTQ+ organizations, faith groups, queer and trans activists, and drag artists will participate, according to the Center. Kerri Colby and Honey Davenport, who both appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race, will perform at the event.
“The Center’s Drag March is a nod to the origins of the LGBTQ+ movement, when the very first demonstrations started in opposition to moral policing and anti-crossdressing laws designed to impose a singular ideal of gender and sexuality onto citizens,” Joe Hollendoner, CEO for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, said in a statement. “It is no mistake that today’s ‘Drag Bans’ are accompanied by a sweeping movement to ban access to gender-affirming care; we are fighting for our right to privacy, bodily autonomy, self-determination, and freedom of expression.”
Hollendoner, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne are all expected to speak at the event.
The march comes in response to more than 400 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that government officials have proposed or passed in 2023, according to the Center’s numbers. Most, it says, target transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Last month, Tennessee enacted the country’s first law to restrict drag shows. Before March ended, though, a nonprofit theater group had filed a lawsuit that challenges the law, alleging violations of First Amendment rights. “Modern drag performances typically do not contain nudity,” the suit reads. “More often than not, drag performers wear more clothing than one would expect to see at a public beach, and many drag shows are intended to be appropriate for all ages.” Lizzo, Madonna, Hayley Williams, and many other performers also voiced opposition to the new bill in March.