Adirondack Daily Enterprise readers may be aware that my company, Above the Treeline — along with my colleague and show director George Connelly/Victoria Bohmore — hosts drag performances in Saranac Lake. While the majority of the community has been supportive of these entertaining events, the increasing volume of hateful and misinformed discourse I’ve observed on social media, as well as increasing attacks on performers, their art form, and the venues that host them across the country, is troubling.

I was recently at a show in Memphis, Tennessee at an iconic venue that, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Bill Lee, could very well be shut down if a child happens to walk by their window and observe a person in a dress. The person in the dress could face jail time.

Beyond the sexism and LGBT-plus rights violation this represents, the reprehensible intrusion into a private business is something that should profoundly unsettle every pro-business citizen in the country. Somehow it’s unacceptable to tell a baker he must cater to clients whose lives he doesn’t agree with, but no one sees the problem with shutting down existing businesses because you don’t like their entertainment line up?

Further, the hypocrisy of this move, if it was not so damaging, would almost be amusing, as the same governor, whom I met in a different context, was exposed as having dressed as a woman himself several years ago in what I’m sure he felt was a hilarious gag. Was anyone concerned then that children might be irreparably harmed by him grooming them? Did anyone arrest him or threaten violence? I would bet not.

Here in Saranac Lake, for decades, Winter Carnival Rotary Show goers delighted in scenes with men dressed as women as part of the festivities. Children have always been present. Was anyone worried that those children were being groomed to be something unquestionably deviant? Does anyone feel they are violating God’s law? Did anyone move to cancel Winter Carnival or shut down Rotary?

Ask yourself why these distinctions exist. Could it be that unquestionably masculine, straight men expressing anything feminine is just a fun joke? But drag queens, because they want to express a feminine side as a valuable part of themselves and their art, is somehow threatening the natural order of things? What does that say about the value of women?

Some will say that drag performers are overly sexually suggestive in the same way that exotic dancers are sexually suggestive. While I have yet to see a drag performer remove their top or dance in the nude, shows that have more sass are billed as 18-plus, not “family friendly.” Your parental right is to decide not to bring your kid to a drag show, just as my parental right is to bring mine along for a fun and open experience that I value. I don’t need you to protect my kid from drag any more than I need to protect your kid from going to a certain church if I believe that is not the right place for my kid. (I say this as someone who was raised quite devoutly in the 1980s and ’90s Catholic church).

In the latest stream of misplaced anger, some have suggested that people who dress differently than their sex assigned at birth are disproportionately so mentally ill that they are responsible for the epidemic of mass shootings. In fact, of the 300 mass shooters since 2009, four shooters may have been transgender or non-binary — 1.3% of mass shooters. How do the other 99.7% identify? The mental gymnastics it takes to arrive at this conclusion in order to point the finger at a group that is four times more likely to be victims of violence is shameful, and will likely cause that statistic to rise further. Perhaps that is the point.

If you don’t want to go to a drag show, then don’t buy a ticket, just like I did not go to the The Gaylord National Marriott to attend CPAC and listen to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s views on transgender folks. I will, however, continue to stay at Marriott Hotels rather than advocate for their closure, because I presume they welcome all individuals to enjoy many other events and amenities that have nothing to do with Ms. Greene.

If you are curious about what drag shows are really like, try one out. The hosts are generally very welcoming to newcomers and will graciously walk you through what you can expect. This is an art form and an expression that has no ambitions of changing or harming your children or threatening your way of life, nor is there a shred of credible evidence that they do so.

I implore you, even if you don’t agree with me, live and let live. Life is too short to judge each other for being ourselves and having fun.

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Chrissie Wais is the owner of Above the Treeline and owns the Belvedere Restaurant building. She lives in Saranac Lake.

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Sources

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“Tennessee governor appears to have dressed in drag, an art form he wants to restrict” (nbcnews.com)

“Transgender people over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime” – Williams Institute (ucla.edu)

“How Many Mass Shootings Have Been Carried Out by Transgender People?” (newsweek.com)