Be the Light Where the Rainbow can’t Shine
Attacks against the Trans community and Drag Queens are a proxy war against all in the 2SLGBTQ+ community
It was a Sunday night in 1986 at Le Club — a long gone gay bar in Hull — when I saw my first drag show. I had recently moved to Ottawa. Prowling the nightclubs back then was a way to find connection and, yes — get laid. Sunday nights were when Michel(le) Ross would perform. She was a short, stout drag queen whose frocks looked like they came from a Zellers super sale. Her wigs looked like she stole them from her great aunt. She had none of the glamour or sophistication of today’s RuPaul inspired drag culture. It shaped my lack of “appreciation” for the art form.
No offence directed at Michelle. She was out there every Sunday night. God knows I was out those nights more often than I should have been. She was up there strutting her stuff on the bar and on the speakers — lip-synching her heart out to Donna Summer, Dianna Ross and Cher. It never grew on me. I guess I was a bad “Gay”.
I was also one of those cis Gay men who complained every time a drag queen made the cover of a newspaper or a television broadcast after Pride parades. To be honest, I felt a tinge of embarrassment about it. I didn’t like that drag was turning into a shorthand representation of the entire community. Part of my discomfort may have been a little internalized homophobia with a dash of misogyny. Its uncomfortable to look back at some of my own attitudes from back then.
But you know what? My views have changed. Not about the artform of drag. It still leaves me with a feeling of — meh? But what changed about my attitudes was what drag, and a diversity of gender expression, means today. These are fearless people. They are taking immense risk to be out as whoever they want to be. Despite my youthful protestations — they have become a shorthand for the entire Queer community. Its why I think we need to come to their defence. We need to stand up to the resurgent bullying against people whose gender identity and gender expression is being attacked by the self-styled “anti-woke” right-wing ideologues.
Make no mistake, there is a rising culture war in Canada and the battlelines are drawn in hot-pink lipstick and glitter. People are emboldened and empowered by a right-wing media environment with outlets such as Rebel News, Fox, True North and others who amplify tropes that transgender persons and drag queens pose a danger to children.
The unrelenting attack on trans youth is particularly disturbing. Young people who are coming to terms with their gender identity are now increasingly denied their right to appropriate gender affirming care. They are being forced to use the bathrooms of the gender assigned at birth rather than the one that aligns with their gender identity and expression. This exposes them to sexual assault and violence. The public attacks against trans persons are a constant stream of bullying and harassment that deeply damage a person’s mental health.
The “anti-woke” right make it seem like the use of someone’s preferred pronouns is an attack on their free speech. That is complete nonsense. Using someone’s preferred pronouns has zero effect on anyone other than the person who is being addressed. The effect of intentionally misgendering or dead-naming someone is harassment and bullying. Claiming a right to ignore a person’s wishes on how they are referred to is simply ignorant and mean. It is designed to inflict emotional pain and anxiety. Why would anyone want to do that other than they are simply bullies.
Attacks against transgender persons and drag queens as “groomers” or “predators” is a tactic of the extreme right who want to roll-back 2SLGBTQ+ rights in Canada and around the world. It is the invocation of a moral panic, where old tropes about Queer people are used against the most visible and vulnerable members of our community. This is particularly dangerous for Black, Indigenous, and other gender diverse persons from racialized communities. For LGB community members who think they are immune to this backlash — you are deluding yourselves. This fight is about all of us. The bigots are targeting transgender persons and drag queens because they are a manifestation of all of us. They are the shorthand proxy for the community. They are easy targets. They also have few allies who are willing to stand up and push back.
Make no mistake — the “anti-woke” culture warriors want to take our rights away. They want us to disappear. For many, tolerance is a step too far. We are seeing these attacks against our community amplified by Republicans in the USA, the Putin regime in Russia, homophobes and bigots in countries such as Hungary, Poland, Israel, Uganda and Tanzania. We need allies from within and outside the 2SLGBTQ+ community to take a stand and confront this rising tide of exclusion. It takes a multitude of voices to stand up and defend our rights. We need to be the light where the rainbow can’t shine.
