Queer people have been around forever. Unfortunately, so have biases steeped in ignorance that these people are inherently dangerous, lewd, and need to be restricted.
Right now all over the country different laws are being enacted to police the lives of LGBTQIA people and their expression — and drag has been a huge part of the debate surrounding these decisions.
I’m writing in support of the drag show performing at the fair because I think of Haines as a tolerant and supportive place for all kinds of people. What kind of message would the Assembly or Fair Board send to the queer people who live here if they were to cancel the show? As someone who grew up in a small, rural place and didn’t see a whole lot of gender/sexuality expression outside the norm it would have made a world of difference to me and some of my classmates to know that there was more out there — that there were people like us brave enough to get up on a stage and proudly exclaim “this is who I am” through their art.
Last week my heart sank a little reading the letters affirming that homophobia is still a big part of this conversation. I was comforted by the words of the iconic drag queen RuPaul ““If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” Can I get an amen?
Lucy Nieboer