"Drag is activism," Tara Lipsyncki says after co-hosting an all-ages drag show in April at a restaurant in Logan, Utah. "Drag is a political statement. Every day you go out in drag, you're putting on war paint because we are in a cultural war right now."
In our state, like many others in 2023, a Republican-controlled legislature passed several anti-trans bills and banned books that contain LGBTQ+ themes in schools. Putting on their act in a small, rural place like Logan--a largely white and Mormon community eighty miles north of Salt Lake City--prompted the performers to arrange for a police presence. Despite the tension, it was, for Lipsyncki, a chance to counter conservative stereotypes about drag.
At the core of the art, they tell me, is the need to be visible and make "sure that you are seen not only by the people that like you, but [also by] the people that hate you. The more you show what we are truly doing--and that is just spreading love, hope, and acceptance--the more we can grow."
Here, performers in the Logan show share the reasons they take to the stage:
Photos and words created for The Progressive Magazine.
"I think drag is activism absolutely, especially with bills being passed right now, its important for us to keep doing it and showing everyone who’s trying to stop us that we are not going anywhere." - Lavender Couture
“The space is just pure joy. We don’t bring negativity. We don’t like to hate. We just like to make everyone feel happy and feel included.” - Varrie Warm
“Out in society you can usually only be one person and fit into one certain stereotype to appease everybody else looking around you but in drag you can be whoever you want. It’s just like dressing up but in a way that shows that you don’t always have to be what society thinks you should be.” - Al Cabone
“As a gay father, it’s important to me to where whatever we do is accepted because there’s so many close-minded people out there. For me it’s important that I’m able to express myself. I suffer from PTSD, this is an outlet for me. I put on a different face. So it’s very important. There’s too many people trying to tell us what we can and can’t do.” - Ashley Austin
“In our current world that needs so much progression, drag is the tool I can use to help push Utah forward. This isn’t just a fun hobby anymore, it’s a catalyst for change.” - Anya Bacon, co-host
“Drag, especially the activism side of drag, is important to me because it gives me the chance to be the person a younger me would have needed. To me it’s all about making everyday life more accepting and *fabulous* for the future generations.” - Amara Gaunt
Drag shows “that there is a life outside of the black and white and the binary. There’s a beautiful world of color that you can get into. And so as soon as you start expressing yourself in a different way, it opens yourself up to learning about other cultures and learning more about other people.” - Tara Lipsyncki