In the last few years, drag has become increasingly political, and rightly so, as the current administration continues to threaten LGBTQ rights. It’s estimated that one in five LGBTQ Americans are not registered to vote, and getting a young voter turnout continues to be difficult.
At the end of each episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, viewers are reminded to register to vote by sign-carrying queens. Sen. Elizabeth Warren even had a booth at last year’s Drag Con in NYC. These are all efforts to Drag Out the Vote in coming elections.
“Drag Out the Vote is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy. We educate and register voters at drag events online and offline by organizing local and national voter activations. Led by fierce drag kings and queens across the nation, we advocate for increased voter access and engagement in 2020 and beyond.” reads their website.
When best-selling author Jackie Huba learned that in the 2016 election, more than 100 million people sat out of voting, she founded Drag Out the Vote, a movement enlisting drag queens as ambassadors to help people register.
“Drag queens are uniquely positioned to use their platform to rally their communities to action,” Huba told the press. “Drag Out the Vote gives drag artists the tools and training they need to register LGBTQ voters and make their voices heard.”
Huba, who is a fem queen herself, explains how once the ambassadors are trained, they’re equipped with social media tools, PSA scripts, and resources for registering to vote. Drag Out the Vote’s national co-chairs are also big names in the drag world, including Brita Filter, and Jaremi Carey (Phi Phi O’Hara), along with Marti Gould Cummings, and NYC-based queen and activist who’s running for New York City council in 2021.
In addition to working directly with RuPaul’s Drag Race, Drag Out the Vote also partners with Planned Parenthood, the LGBTQ Victory Institute, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
To learn more about the drag ambassador program and how you can get involved in helping others, or yourself, register to vote in 2020, click here.
