{"id":22894,"date":"2022-12-26T15:02:14","date_gmt":"2022-12-26T15:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=22894"},"modified":"2022-12-26T15:32:25","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T15:32:25","slug":"the-moral-panic-around-drag-makes-even-less-sense-in-the-uks-pantomime-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2022\/12\/26\/the-moral-panic-around-drag-makes-even-less-sense-in-the-uks-pantomime-season\/","title":{"rendered":"The moral panic around drag makes even less sense in the UK\u2019s pantomime season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article by Alex\/Rose Cocker was first posted by The Canary<\/a>. It argues that the current \u00a0moral panic around drag , whipped up to target trans people \u00a0makes even less sense in the UK\u2019s pantomime season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0THE MORAL PANIC AROUND DRAG MAKES EVEN LESS SENSE IN THE UK’S PANTOMIME SEASON<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Image from Wikimedia Commons\/Roogi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The moral panic around drag queens currently sweeping America has arrived in Britain. Conservative and homo\/transphobic reactionaries are working themselves into a froth around the idea of (usually, not necessarily) a man in a dress entertaining children. The problem? It makes zero sense in a country with a proud tradition of\u2026 a man in a dress entertaining children. Of course, there\u2019s no way a bigot would let a little cognitive dissonance stop them.<\/p>\n

An American malady<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0US is currently getting<\/a>\u00a0itself all het up about drag acts. Sometimes, the opposition is supposed to be specifically against children watching drag. Often, it\u2019s simply about the idea of drag, full stop. Whatever the focus, it\u2019s part of a much\u00a0broader assault on the existence<\/a>\u00a0and rights of all LGBTQ+ people in America and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The effects of the anti-drag movement have been wide-ranging. In Texas, legislator Bryan Slaton made moves to\u00a0introduce legislation<\/a>\u00a0barring children from watching drag. Florida\u2019s governor, Ron DeSantis, suggested that\u00a0child protective services<\/a>\u00a0should be called on parents who allow children to attend a drag show. Meanwhile, in Canada,\u00a0libraries<\/a>\u00a0were threatened simply for hosting drag queen storytellers.<\/p>\n

Increasing attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, the bigotry has by no means been confined to the idea of minors seeing drag. Individuals carrying Nazi banners\u00a0gathered at a fundraiser<\/a>\u00a0for the non-profit Rose Dynasty, run by drag queen Momma Ashley Rose.\u00a0 A\u00a0donut shop in Oklahoma<\/a>\u00a0was firebombed after it hosted a drag-themed event. More recently, five people were killed in an\u00a0attack on Club Q<\/a>, Colorado, which was hosting a drag event. Since then, the attempts at intimidation\u00a0have only intensified.<\/a><\/p>\n

A\u00a0study by<\/a>\u00a0Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) stated that the US had seen:<\/p>\n

124 incidents in 2022 of anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting specific drag events.<\/em><\/p>\n

Reporting on the GLAAD study,\u00a0Them\u00a0<\/em>noted that\u00a0the attacks came<\/a>:<\/p>\n

after encouragement from Republican politicians, far-right pundits, or social media feeds like\u00a0<\/em>Libs of TikTok<\/em><\/a>, who have<\/em>\u00a0increasingly<\/em><\/a>\u00a0labeled<\/a>\u00a0transgender people and drag queens as\u00a0<\/em>\u201cgroomers\u201d<\/em><\/a>\u00a0who are dangers to children.<\/em><\/p>\n

Panic in the UK<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a depressing inevitability, the moral panic around drag has made its way to Britain. The\u00a0Canary<\/em>\u00a0has\u00a0previously reported<\/a>\u00a0on the fascist organisation Patriotic Alternative protesting outside a drag event in Cornwall. A\u00a0homophobic mob<\/a>\u00a0have\u00a0attempted to arrest<\/a>\u00a0a queen performing at a library in Reading. Multiple threads on the\u00a0reactionary<\/a>\u00a0parenting site Mumsnet<\/a>\u00a0are calling for an end to drag events for young audiences.<\/p>\n

All of the protests above focus on an organisation called \u2018Drag Queen Story Hour\u2019, which provides family-friendly readings in local libraries and other venues. The\u00a0Drag Queen Story Hour website<\/a>\u00a0gives the motivation for the concept:<\/p>\n

Drag Queen Story Hour UK wants to show the world that being different is not a bad thing, and by providing imaginative role models for children to look up to, we can change the world book by book!<\/em><\/p>\n

The events aim to increase the acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities in the next generation \u2013 and to prevent the perpetuation of exactly the kind of bigotry that is directed at them.<\/p>\n

A history lesson!<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we gear up for Christmas, it\u2019s high time to remember that the UK historically has been fine with the idea of men wearing dresses, big makeup, and wigs as children\u2019s entertainment. In fact, we\u2019ve built a whole bloody tradition around it. Oh yes we have!<\/p>\n

The origins of the pantomime tradition are murky, but it\u00a0seems to stem from<\/a>\u00a0the much older c16th Italian Commedia dell\u2019arte performances. The use of stock characters and elaborate costumes grew into a form of Victorian theatre. It\u2019s use of stage magic, quick changes and trap doors delighted British audiences. In particular, the over-egged, melodramatic plots proved popular with working-class patrons.<\/p>\n

Today, children and families still crowd out theatres to join in with the traditional Christmas pantomime. And, as part of that, they\u2019ll see the pantomime dame \u2013 usually played by a man wearing over-the-top makeup and feminine garb.\u00a0The dame<\/a>\u00a0provides comic relief, and is arguably the most recognisable aspect of the panto. She\u2019s also often played by a well-known celebrity \u2013 this year,\u00a0Ian McKellen<\/a>\u00a0is taking to the stage as the titular Mother Goose.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the difference?<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, you might ask, what is it about a cross-cast dame on stage telling fairy stories that\u2019s fine and dandy, when a drag queen telling fairy stories in a library has people up in arms?<\/p>\n

It couldn\u2019t be the fact that drag is closely associated with queer culture, could it? It definitely couldn\u2019t be that drag queens are most often queer men? Or even the fact that Drag Queen Story Hour is seeking to reduce bigotry against queer and gender-diverse children?<\/p>\n

Absolutely not! If that was the difference, it would mean that this whole moral panic is just a hastily repackaged homophobia. It even plays on exactly the same hateful tropes as every other\u00a0moral panic around gayness.<\/a>\u00a0Like Section 28 before it, it is rooted in the fear that if children are shown that it is OK to be queer, they might grow to accept the queer people living in the world around them.<\/p>\n

But that couldn\u2019t be it, right? Not a clumsy import from the American far right that makes absolutely no sense in the cultural context of the UK, no sir. But if you can think of a better difference between the drag queen and the dame, I\u2019m all ears.<\/p>\n

19.12.22<\/strong><\/p>\n

_____________<\/p>\n

also see:<\/p>\n

Holyrood dismantles UN special rapporteur\u2019s arguments against gender recognition reform \u2013 Alex\/Rose Cocker, The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n

How anti-trans activists force Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre in Edinburgh into lockdown \u2013 Adam Ramsay, openDemocracy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0A TERF-Far Right alliance has launched a new transphobic assault – Adrien Belarc, Left Voce (USA)<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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The following article by Alex\/Rose Cocker was first posted by The Canary. It argues that the current \u00a0moral panic around drag , whipped up to target trans people \u00a0makes even less sense in the UK\u2019s pantomime season. \u00a0THE MORAL PANIC AROUND DRAG MAKES EVEN LESS SENSE IN THE UK’S PANTOMIME SEASON The moral panic around…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1843,1858,8833],"tags":[9152],"class_list":["post-22894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-capitalists-organise","category-oppression-liberation","category-queer-liberation","tag-author-alex-rose-cocker"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/mastodon.scot\/@rcfscotland\/109580578818047019","error":""},"views":3824,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22894"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22899,"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22894\/revisions\/22899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}