Texas drag shows become a right-wing target amid rising extremism

Counterprotesters form a barricade outside of a transgender storytelling event in Denton on Nov. 19 as Sara Gonzales of Defend Our Kids: Texas chants, “There are only two genders.” (Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune)

For LGBTQ mental health support, call the Trevor Project’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, four drag performers gathered in a hotel lobby that doubles as a bar just west of the University of Texas at Austin. It was time for the monthly Divacakes Drag Revue show, the first since a gunman killed five people and injured more than 20 others at a queer club in Colorado.