Six times anti-LGBTQ activists have been caught lying about drag queens and children

In 2022, anti-LGBTQ activist Seth Dillon claimed that this was a picture of a children being encouraged to tip a half-naked drag queen. The allegation was a lie.

Editor's note - This blog post is a portion of one I published last week. Someone requested that I make it into a blog post of its own and I thought that was a wonderful idea.

Attacks on drag queens have been a cause celebre for Republicans, the anti-LGBTQ industry, the far right, and conservative evangelicals for a number of years. They claim drag in itself is sexually explicit - even when it's merely drag queens reading children's books to kids - and that it's a plot by us to supposedly "groom" children to become LGBTQ. In the past, they've accused us of simply trying to "sexually recruit" children. Now they say we are playing Invasion of the Body Snatchers in that we are seeking to convert children by wrecking "their innocence."

 Also in the past, they simply accused us of "recruiting" children for sexual behavior and back then, it was just words in publications or accusations made in speeches and interviews. 

These days, social media has become their tools of bigoted storytelling. Memes playing upon people's hidden and unhidden prejudices have become their weapons. Lies backed by doctored photos and out-of-context videos spread at a rapid pace and poison the conversation before the truth comes out. By the time truth does in fact come out, it doesn't matter because the lie has become unkillable.

But there are times in which they get caught in their lies and have to pay a price. Sometimes they have to scamper back to their holes while licking their figurative wounds which come from heavy public ridicule. Other times - and I wish there were more of these times - they have to pay significant monetary penalties:

Six times anti-LGBTQ activists have been caught lying about drag queens and children

In two separate court cases, drag queens have won a settlement of $200,000 and a court judgement of $1.1 million after being falsely accused of being a sex offender, dancing lewd with children, or exposing themselves to children.

Drag queens will get $200,000 settlement and apology from lawmaker who falsely accused them of obscene behavior with children - In 2024, New Hampshire Republican lawmaker David Love paid a combined $200,000 to two drag queens to settle accusations that he defamed them by falsely calling one a sex offender and claiming the other danced with children in a sexual manner. 

Drag performer awarded $1.1 million judgement against blogger who falsely accused him of exposing himself to kids - Earlier that same year in Idaho, drag performer Eric Posey received a $1.1 million judgement against a far-right blogger after she falsely accused him of exposing himself to adults and children at a Pride event in June 2022. 

__________________________________________________

A video posted by anti-LGBTQ activist Robby Starbuck allegedly showed a drag queen in Tennessee encouraging a little girl to stroke his crotch. The allegation wasn't even close to the truth.

Taken out-of-context video fuels ugly lie about drag queens 'grooming' children - In September 2022, a video from Tennessee allegedly showing a drag queen inviting a little girl to stroke his crotch went mega viral. But that wasn't the case at all. None of it was true. 

__________________________________________________

Via a dishonest use of a screen block, anti-LGBTQ activists spread a lie that a drag queen exposed himself to children during a Drag Queen Story Hour event. And a lot of people on social media believed it.

BUSTED! Far right caught spreading false story that a drag queen exposed self to children - In June 2022, bigots altered a photo to spread a false claim that a drag queen exposed himself to children during a drag queen story hour event. 

__________________________________________________

Conservative anti-LGBTQ activist Seth Dillon claimed that this was a picture of a child tipping a half-naked drag queen (top photo). This was a lie and the bottom photo shows that he was informed of this by those responding his tweet.

Babylon Bee editor Seth Dillon caught spreading false story about a child tipping a half-naked drag queen - In that same month in 2022, a far-right activist Seth Dillon, tried to spread a claim that a child was encouraged to tip a half-naked drag queen. Except there weren't any drag performers involved in the incident.

_________________________________________________

Mass Resistance, an anti-LGBTQ hate group in Massachusetts, said during a Drag Queen Story Hour event, children were exposed to a lewd book about underwear. The book in question, 'What Color is Your Underwear,' is a children's book.

Hate group makes fool of itself with latest attack on Drag Queen Story Hour - In 2019, Massachusetts hate group Mass Resistance claimed that during a drag queen story hour event, children were being read a lewd book about underwear. This was a lie.

Drag is an art It is an old and very respected art. This is not to say that it's never lewd because sometimes it can be lewd or X-rated. But to automatically designate drag as lewd and to spin ridiculous conspiracy theories that LGBTQ people and our allies are using drag to somehow "groom" or outright sexually molest children is bigoted.  It's the latest way in which those who oppose our equality scapegoat us as the "dangerous other" out to wreck American society. 

With regards to the possibility of kids attending drag shows which are adult-oriented, it is in the hands of parents to make that judgement and also where the blame should lie if in fact the occasion may arise. Not drag queens.

But generally speaking, I have a question to all of the conservative evangelical, anti-LGBTQ activists, and the rest of that bunch who like to point the finger of accusation against drag queens:

Who has been arrested the most for molesting kids? Drag queens or the folks in YOUR ranks?