‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Producers Respond to Anti-Drag Bills: ‘It Feels Un-American’

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the Emmy-winning producers behind “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and co-founders of World of Wonder, have responded to the wave of anti-drag legislation being introduced by GOP lawmakers, calling it “un-American.” Speaking with Variety over Zoom, Barbato said the bills — which are working their way through at least 11 state legislatures and threatening to restrict or prohibit drag show performances — are all part of an “insidious” campaign. “It’s been going on and it’s orchestrated by a minority,” Barbato said. “They have been successful in these hideous laws.

That same minority is threatening the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community. They are a threat and we must take them seriously.” In response to attempts from conservative legislators around the country to ban children from drag performances, bar drag shows from occurring in public places and brand them as adult-oriented businesses, World of Wonder partnered with the ACLU to set up the Drag Defense Fund.

The fund allows people to donate to and support the ACLU’s fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Bailey said, “Donating to the ACLU is important because these battles need to be fought, in addition to social media, in the courts, which is where the laws can be repealed — or even better, not passed in the first place.” Bailey also responded to efforts to spread the narrative that drag queens are predators. “The notion that drag queens are groomers is false,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s an attempt to turn the clock back to some imaginary time when drag queens did not exist, which is never, and therefore render invisible certain people.