300 People Attend “Guerilla Drag Show” To Protest Anti-Trans Event In The U.S.A.
December 11, 2023Around 300 people showed up to watch a “guerrilla drag show” this week outside of an event featuring anti-trans speakers. Hosted by the conservative student group Turning Point USA, the anti-trans event took place on Cal Poly’s campus in San Luis Obispo, California. It featured speeches by de-transition advocate Chloe Cole and Canadian anti-LGBTQ+ activist Chris Elston, according to ‘LGBTQ Nation’.
Cole and Elston are reportedly on a speaking tour called “A Dad & A Detransitioner’s Take on the Transgender Movement.” Turning Point’s Instagram post promoting the event claimed the speakers would “explain what the transgender movement really is, the truth about it, and the myths that surround it!”
Cole, a right-wing detransitioner, has become a staunch advocate for anti-trans laws and policies. Elston, who regularly wears sandwich-board signs bearing anti-trans slogans, spent part of 2020 and 2021 putting up a billboard and wearing a sign that said “I (heart) J.K. Rowling” and harassing women who he perceived as too supportive of trans rights.
In response, the Cal Poly Drag Club planned a drag show outside the venue.
Image Credit: Canva
“Drag club is a beacon for the queer community and our allies,” the group wrote in an Instagram post advertising the event. “We are appalled that Turning Point USA and their anti-trans agenda has come to our campus. In protest, we are throwing a guerilla drag show to capture the love and queer joy that is present here…”
In contrast to the 300 people who showed up for the drag show, only 100 sat inside listening to the anti-trans speakers, according to San Luis Obispo’s The Tribune.
Video of the drag show shows the hundreds of students screaming and dancing with joy as they watch the performers.
“I hate having to be here to try to show that we exist and that we’re proud and we’re living lives and were successful as trans people, but I also love that I get to see so many people show up for this community,” performer and drag club vice president Vinny Torres, who performs as Skinny Mocha, told The Tribune, adding, “It’s kind of bittersweet in a way.”
A university spokesperson defended the school against angry students who accused the school of not doing more to stop Turning Point’s event.
“We understand why some people are upset about particular guest speakers at Cal Poly,” said spokesperson Matt Lazier. “But it is not the university’s role to decide who can and cannot express their viewpoints on campus.”
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