BRATTLEBORO — Thanks to The Commons for providing great coverage of the fabulous Royal Flush Valentine's Day drag show! As a member of Brattleboro's LGBTQ community, I wanted to respond to several comments that were made near the end of the article.
I love living in Brattleboro and love the LGBTQ community of this region, but it can certainly be isolating as times as well.
Isolation is one of the main challenges facing our rural queer community. While there are many spaces and events throughout Brattleboro proper where LGBTQ folks are welcomed, the idea that we are “not isolated somewhere out there” is far from the truth.
Green Mountain Crossroads and HomoPromo host a monthly trans and queer potluck that is frequented by many folks, some of whom travel two hours round trip to attend.
Likewise, many of our other groups, workshops, and events often draw folks from around the tri-state (Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts) area because no similar events happen in their towns or communities.
I also want to highlight the rich history that drag has in our community. I was happy to attend Royal Flush and see so many folks, queer and straight alike, turn out to support the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center (BMAC) and the performers.
But the notion that drag is simply “dress[ing] up” dismisses what drag is and means to LGBTQ folks.
Drag is fun. And drag is resistance. In 1969, when queens of color were being harassed and thrown out of the Stonewall Inn, they were resisting societal norms of what people can wear and how they can act, speak, perform, and be.
When the queens and kings graced the marble steps of BMAC on Valentine's Day, they were having fun “dress[ing] up,” but they were also pushing back, in a very real way, against gender binaries and what dominant straight culture accepts as normal. They were adding another piece to the LGBTQ community story of what drag is and means in the world.
I encourage you, gay and straight, to continue supporting our community with media coverage, friendships, attendance at events, and in other ways. I also encourage you to read up (or speak with some of our amazing local youth and elders, myself included) on LGBTQ communities - our histories and our current experiences.
To all the performers at Royal Flush, condragulations on a fabulous show! Bring back the Rainbow Cattle Co., and let's do it again soon!