In just over a year, the TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has raised $2 million to support the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) legal defense fund to protect drag queen performances.
The TV series, which depicts men dressing up as caricatures of women in a beauty pageant-style event in front of a panel of judges, has reportedly raised $2 million in just 14 months for the Drug Defense Fund, an ACLU initiative.
According to the ACLU, the funds will be used to support legal defense of “LGBTQ rights, including the censorship of drag performers themselves.”
“The ACLU is committed to the importance of drag as a First Amendment right and an important form of artistic expression, and this also supports the ACLU’s broader advocacy work in support of the LGBTQ community,” the ACLU wrote. 2023.
Some jurisdictions ban drag shows in public places, based on guidelines that state the shows are explicit and not suitable for minors.
Just months after the Legal Defense Fund was founded, the ACLU sued the state of Texas for what the group called “unconstitutional drug prohibition.”
The lawsuit challenged Texas’ SB 12, which restricts “sexually oriented performances” on “the grounds of a commercial enterprise, on public lands, or in the presence of individuals under the age of 18.”
A federal judge also barred the city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from enforcing a ban on drag performances on public property. The judge’s order came after the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed a lawsuit.
The ACLU said at the time that the order “affirms that the community’s free speech rights will be protected at the Boro Pride festival.”
The rights group also claimed its legal fund is keen to fight “censorship” of LGBTQ-related topics in classes.
Partners in the fund include MTV and World of Wonder. varietyThe latter is a streaming platform for drag queen TV shows.
“Drag has a long history in the queer community as a source of not only joy and creativity, but also empowerment. Thanks to the hard work and promotion from MTV, World of Wonder and the queens of Drag Race, the Drag Defense Fund continues to support our work to protect LGBTQ rights across the country at a time when LGBTQ rights are under relentless attack,” ACLU attorney Josh Block told Variety.
The lawyer is specifically addressing the company’s gay initiatives and so-called HIV project.
“We are so grateful for this partnership and the support it brings to our important work protecting LGBTQ people, our rights, and our families,” he added.
The ACLU also linked its fight against specific policies to a backlash against what they called “anti-trans bills,” which they called a “blatant attempt” to stifle and “restrict” people’s freedom of expression. [their] The right to bodily autonomy and self-determination.”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” has been on the air for 16 seasons.
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