Armed Community Groups Are Defending Texas Drag Queens From Christian Fascists [View all]

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

On an overcast Saturday in the small North Texas suburb of Princeton, a tiny church-turned-community center became one of the latest fronts in the far right’s ongoing culture crusade against drag shows and the broader LGBTQ community.

Masked members of the left-wing community defense group Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, clad in black and toting handguns and radios, had already staked out positions around the perimeter of the Steve and Judy Deffibaugh Community Center before self-described “Christian fascist” Kelly Neidert pulled up with her own armed private security. About a half-dozen Princeton police officers stood watch. Neidert is the head of the so-called Protect Texas Kids (PTK) group, which baselessly claims to be defending children from “grooming.” In reality, advocates point out, the group is using false narratives to stoke hatred and violence against the LGBTQ community.
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Armed members of Veterans for Equality showed up to defend “A Drag Queen Christmas” outside the Aztec Theater in San Antonio in December, for instance, some open carrying and others concealing their firearms. “When we first came in [to the military], we swore an oath to fight enemies foreign and domestic, and right now we feel like the domestic part is really having an effect on us and trying to strip away our rights,” Veterans for Equality Cofounder Gen Peña told Truthout during the protest.

Moreover, venues hosting drag shows targeted by far right militants are increasingly hiring professional private security in advance of protests. Drag performers who can’t afford pricey private security services, however, are finding they can rely directly on the community itself.

https://truthout.org/articles/armed-community-groups-are-defending-texas-drag-queens-from-christian-fascists/

First, the American fascists came for transgender folks...

....and we protected them from the fascists before they had a chance to come for the rest of us.