BenDeLaCreme, Alaska, and Peppermint want you to drag your ass to the polls (exclusive)

Drag PAC

BenDeLaCreme relates to the feeling as well, but while “it’s easy to get lost in the darkness and the doom of that that a lot of us feel heavy with right now,” she says that it’s important to instead put that energy into something productive.

“There is a lot of hope, but it depends upon us engaging. It doesn’t happen by itself, and it never has. And we are a really powerful community,” BenDeLaCreme says. “It can be hard to remember even a few decades ago what it was like to be an LGBTQ person. But we fought our way out of that, and we did it by banding together. And we can do it again.”

“It’s okay to feel fear. I think fear can be a healthy motivator,” she adds. “But don’t just let it be paralyzing. Let it motivate you.”

As drag artists who have been performing for decades, the queens have seen candidates and elections come and go. They’ve also seen countless attacks on the LGBTQ+ community start and pass. For Alaska, who’s been doing drag for over 20 years now, this turmoil isn’t new – and it can be overcome.

“When I first started drag, I was not trying to change the world. I was just trying to have fun, and I really liked girls’ clothes,” she says. “But now, we’ve entered this world where when drag queens speak up, there’s people who are listening. So with that, I feel like there’s a little bit of a responsibility to make the world a better place.”

“There’s a lot to be scared about now for sure. But I started doing drag during the George W. Bush administration – it was scary then as well,” Alaska continues. “All I can say is, remember that this community is fucking fierce and powerful, and we don’t back down. Ultimately, the world is listening. Our community, the LGBTQIA community, are the tastemakers. When we speak up, people listen. So don’t be afraid to go out there and live your life and be who you are. Never be afraid of that.”

Or as Peppermint puts it: “There’s nothing that they’re introducing to us as queer people that queer individuals have not endured and triumphed over.”