Drag March LA will take place Sunday in West Hollywood to protest the more than 400 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation lawmakers have proposed or passed in 2023. Photo: Provided
Drag March LA will take place Sunday in West Hollywood to protest the more than 400 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation lawmakers have proposed or passed in 2023.
More than 40 LGBTQ+ organizations, faith groups, queer and trans activists, and drag artists will participate, according to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which organized the Drag March.
Kerri Colby and Honey Davenport, who both appeared on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” will perform at the event.
Trans pioneer Sir Lady Java fought LAPD discrimination in 1967
“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,” he said.
The Drag 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 ACLU.
Most of the legislation targets transgender and gender-nonconforming people.
Last month, Tennessee enacted the country’s first law to restrict drag shows; however, a nonprofit theater group has filed a lawsuit 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.”
The Drag March starts at 10 a.m. with the step off beginning at noon at West Hollywood Park.
Hollendoner, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne are expected to speak at the Drag March.
