NC Performers Join National Effort to Stop Drag and Pride Bans and Censorship
DURHAM, NC – Three drag performers from North Carolina have joined a growing national movement launched by Qommittee demanding that elected officials stop attacks on Pride celebrations and drag performances across America. Naomi Dix and Stormie Daie of Durham, and Flamy Grant of Asheville are among 20 drag artists from seven states co-sponsoring the national petition following last week's Kennedy Center protest where drag performers confronted President Trump's performance in full drag. The campaign also follows the launch of Qommittee's Drag Defense Handbook, a 43-page guide for performers facing harassment and threats.
Read more about the Kennedy Center protests in Entertainment Weekly, the Advocate and New York Times.
Read more about the Drag Defense Handbook in NPR, Billboard, and The Hill.
The petition, "Stop Attacks on Pride, LGBTQ+ People, and Drag: Protect Free Expression Nationwide," has garnered over 17,000 signatures and calls on officials to reject restrictions on Pride and drag events, stop targeting LGBTQ+ people through discriminatory laws, and hold accountable those who threaten performers and venues.
Featured Quotes from North Carolina Performers
Naomi Dix, Durham – Qo-founder of Qommittee and Owner of Club ERA. In 2022, her show in Moore County was protested, and threatened, resulting in one of the largest domestic terrorist attacks on a substation in U.S history. FBI, state and county officials have yet to confirm the cause of this terrorist attack or charge anyone that was involved.
“Drag is a safe and brave space that was, is, and always will be here to create and facilitate inclusivity. Unfortunately, this has become a threat to some within our society. When we perform in community, we use our platforms to express ourselves and give a voice to those being silenced by political bullies. WE DESERVE TO TAKE UP SPACE TOO! Being a part of a domestic terrorist attack made me want to respond, not just with my words but with my actions.”
Stormie Daie, Durham – Science educator, national Drag Story Hour reader and member of Qommittee.
"I teach that drag as a queer art form is historically rooted in social justice. From William Dorsey Swann to Marsha P. Johnson, queens work to serve community and face threats while doing it. I continuously face hate because I work with children. As a national reader for Drag Story Hour and a science educator, my events have faced bomb threats and Proud Boys organizing against them. Most recently I'm slated to emcee a 'Home Schooling Con' and organizers have been publicly commenting to protest my inclusion."
Flamy Grant, Asheville – Award-winning, Billboard-charting artist who topped the iTunes Christian music charts. In September 2023, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order protecting her First Amendment rights to perform at Blount Pride in Tennessee after a local prosecutor threatened to enforce the state's unconstitutional anti-drag act.
"Drag saves lives—starting with my own. As a globally touring artist who has performed in over 100 churches across America, I see firsthand the hope that this art form offers to disenfranchised, fearful queer people of all ages."
