By John Hayden
God save the queens! That rallying cry was shouted loud and proud from the heart of Wilton Manors on June 15, 2023. Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar teamed up with MISTR, Grindr, and the ACLU to raise attention and money in the fight to keep drag entertainment accessible and legal.
Florida is among the states passing laws designed to harass and criminalize drag entertainment and its supporters. The event raised money for the ACLU Drag Defense Fund. MISTR works in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention and may not sound like a logical partner for an event like this, but MISTR CEO Tristan Schukraft told OutClique that’s not the case at all.
“Drag queens bring an immeasurable amount of joy, love and strength to the community,” he said. “As we walk together in these dark times, it’s more important than ever to uplift and show our unwavering support for such a beautiful art form. To put it simply, if you come for one of us, you come for all of us.”
Alibi is a logical and natural choice to hold the event. At the center of social life on Wilton Drive, it is also willing to be a center for social justice. Alibi has one of the most robust entertainment schedules on The Drive and drag entertainment has always been at the heart of their programming.
“I love Alibi! I’ve been coming here for years,” Roxxxy Andrews told OutClique “It’s such a great venue and a huge fun time.” The South Florida drag legend and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum headlined the night. “It is very important to me and my sisters. I know a lot of people that survive off of doing drag. When they are attacking us we have to fight up against it.”
Also helping get the message out is Grindr. The hookup app has a big voice in the community and MISTR is thrilled to reach the users. “There is strength in numbers and Grindr undeniably has the largest audience in our community. Aside from being a great partner, Grindr has been a key asset in getting the word out about PrEP awareness and for our fundraising efforts for ACLU Drag Defense Fund,” Schukraft said.
He also believes that MISTR’s mission of protecting the health of our LGBTQIA+ community is in line with events like God Save the Queens. “While Florida is one of MISTR’s largest markets in the country, there is still so much work to be done. Not to mention the constant attacks on our community from Florida’s current leadership, which reminds us almost daily that we need to rise up together as a community to fight for our right to exist. No matter what, MISTR’s efforts to get people enrolled in PrEP or long term HIV Care remains our top priority.”
Supporting our community means supporting drag. “The ACLU is very important to me because my career is being a drag queen. They are defending what I’ve chosen my career to be,” Roxxxy said. “So please donate to the ACLU fund so we can fight this and do what we need to do.”
