You Brita Vote! Talking Politics with Brita Filter

Drag Out the Vote, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy, will partner with PEG Management’s Digital Drag Fest on Tuesday, April 21 for an evening of art and activism, and Drag Race queen Brita Filter is getting involved. 

From 5:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST, viewers can join Drag Out the Vote’s National Co-Chair Brita Filter along with a fierce lineup of drag talent that includes Ginger Minj, Jan Sport, Jackie Cox and Alaska. A portion of the proceeds (all tips) will be donated to Drag Out the Vote’s voter registration and get out the vote efforts in 2020 and beyond. 

“It is paramount that we dedicate ourselves to our democracy,” Drag Out the Vote Founder & Executive Director Jackie Huba said. “Drag Out the Vote is busy creating and supporting campaigns for online voter registration, absentee ballot requests, mail-in balloting, and more. I am thankful for PEG’s support, the participation of the queens, and the whole team that put this together. We truly are uniting to get out the vote.”

This event also includes the efforts of Five Senses Reeling, a creative marketing and events company producing content and experiences focused on the LGBTQ+ and allied community.

“With all that is going on in the world, we are in an interesting place in particular at Five Senses Reeling,” Drag Out the Vote’s Branding & Communications Strategist Dylan Austin said. “As Drag Out the Vote’s agency of record, we are navigating what it looks like to take drag entertainment online, but also what it means to fight for a cause online. We are excited for the first of many productions, on and offline, with Drag Out the Vote bringing drag and voter registration to the masses in any way we can.”

OUT FRONT had the pleasure of chatting more with Brita about the upcoming event, what audiences can expect, and why it is so important to vote. 

Hello, Brita! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me about Drag Out the Vote. How are you doing during these days if isolation and quarantine?
You know, I left New York City 36 days ago, and I came to my parents place in Maine. So, I have been here. I don’t have any of my stuff. I left all of my drag back in New York; it’s kind of been hard. I didn’t really know what to think. I thought this was going to be a couple weeks thing, and then very quickly once I was here, I realized there was going to be much more than that.

For those who do not know, can you tell us more about what Drag Out the Vote is, and what can we expect from the digital event happening on April 21?
Drag Out the Vote is a nonpartisan non-profit that is to get younger people to get registered to vote. They usually attach themselves to, like, a tour of some sorts, and especially the Drag Race tours. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, we have had a lot of our fundraising events get completely canceled, and it’s where most of our money is. One out of five LGBTQIA+ people, youth, essentially 18 and over, are not registered to vote, so it is so important for us to get the word out. Especially in this election year. Since we don’t have the fundraising capability, we have gone to online, so that is why we’re doing this digital drag fest, and it’s going to be great. It’s me, Alaska, Jan Sport, Jackie Cox, and Ginger Minj. We are all coming together and joining forces, and we are donating all of our tips from the show that evening to Drag Out the Vote.

How is this event set up? You are doing an intro segment; then each queen will fill an hour and perform their own material?
Yes. I am doing a 15-minute intro segment talking about Drag Out the Vote, getting the word out there. Then each queen has an hour to go ahead and do their thing to make people aware and collect tips to raise money. The biggest thing we are trying to do is to get tips, so I am pulling out all the stops to raise money. I am doing numbers nobody has ever seen before. I am fully quarantined with six puppets that I bought from Amazon to create new content. 

Why were Alaska, Jan, Jackie, and Ginger specifically chosen to be involved with this event?
I’m not sure for them specifically; Jackie Huba is the one who put it all together, and they have donated their time. I think as, I can speak for Jan and Jackie, they’re on my season, and I’m very close to them. With our season being during an election year and the promo itself being incredibly political, I think that it’s just important to get the word out.

I mean, as U.S. citizens, we have to. It is our right to vote, and you have to practice that right. It is so important. A lot of younger people within our community like to think that, oh, it, doesn’t really affect me. I’m just going to live my life and do my thing. It is so important to be aware of the issues that are going on with our country and our specific rights as gay, queer people that could be take away from us. Especially trans rights. It is so important to get involved. 

You are Drag Out the Vote’s National Co-Chair. How did you initially get involved?
Right when season 12 was in process, it was the first call that I got. I do a lot of political things. I was the head of the Women’s March; I helped them fundraise a bunch of their money and walked in the frontlines of the Women’s March in D.C. It was so important to me. I was pretty political within my own circle and my own community.

So, Jackie reached out to me because they needed an extra co-host with Phi Phi O’Hara for Drag Out the Vote. It was, like, a week away; someone else dropped out, and so I stepped up to the plate. It was me and 28 other Drag Race girls. It was my first time meeting any of these girls, and I was co-hosting with Phi Phi O’Hara.

Voting is such a passionate thing for me, and we need to help others be made aware of the issues that are going on. No matter who you vote for, you have to vote. I think it’s a smart way for people within our community. Somebody is going to listen to a six-foot man in a dress with giant hair and a microphone. You can’t ignore it [laughs].

So, politics have always been a passion of yours?
They have, but it mostly started when our current president got elected. That’s when I truly got political. I was during Obama, but not so much. I think now, more than ever, since our rights as a community are on the line, it is important to be political because I don’t want to lose my rights!

You believe this digital drag fest will truly be beneficial?
I hope so. We are marketing it, and we have the cream of the crop as far as Drag Race queens who are here and donating their time and efforts to Drag Out the Vote. I think it’s going to be great. People are starting to get their stimulus checks now, and it’s tax deductible; this is a wonderful way for people to tip in an environment where we can’t be in large groups.

Why do you think 100 million people did not vote in the 2016 election?
I think it’s because people just didn’t care. People’s rights weren’t necessarily being taken away. It wasn’t until someone started taking stuff away from them, they didn’t realize that they needed to care and that it affects them. It affects everyone; it’s huge. So, I think that is a big reason. Also, I know people were just lazy. People weren’t aware of the date, or they just didn’t want to do it. But this upcoming election will go down in herstory of all elections. 

Going back to what you said about people thinking that their vote doesn’t matter, what more can we do to change that perception? To make them realize that voting is a privilege, and that it is incredibly irresponsible not to vote.
I think that with me being the co-chair of Drag Out the Vote, I think it is so important that I am aware of issues, and honestly, when I started Drag Out the Vote, I wasn’t too keen on all the issues and everything that’s going on. I am still currently learning about that, but I think it is so important that people like me to let the public know.

People look up to me. A lot of the people that look up to me are within that early 18, even younger, that early demographic because of Drag Race. I think because they see how passionate I am about it, that they, too, will be passionate about it. I think that if a drag queen starts talking about voting, half the time, people don’t really want to even hear about voting, or at least that demographic. I think it makes it cool, and that’s what need. If that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes. Voting is cool!

A lot of Bernie Sanders supporters did not vote in 2016 because they were angry with the fact that Hillary won the nomination. They were resistant and automatically assumed that she would win. Now that Bernie endorsed Joe Biden, do you think he will be able to persuade his supporters to do the same?
I hope so. I mean, to not vote, if this is coming from, I’m just not going to go vote, that is not right. Especially if you are a well-minded human being. To say that you are not going to vote because the person that you were hoping to be the nominee is not going to, it’s irresponsible. This is such an important election because it can sway either way. I think people just need to bite the bullet. You have to pick the person that best sides with you, especially if Bernie is endorsing someone, then all you Bernie bros need to bite the bullet, too. 

I dread to think it, but I would like to know your personal view. What do you think would or could happen if we, by chance, get four more years of Trump?
Personally, it worries me. I am hoping that this pandemic will shed some light to some other people and help them see that our president really thought this was a joke and that it was, like, a hoax. I honestly think it will shed a light upon some people, and I hope that they will change their ways. Even people in my family who voted that way, I don’t necessarily agree with them, but I honestly don’t even want to think about four more years him. 

Would you ever run for political office?
No, I wouldn’t. I am great at supporting politics, but as a drag queen, I love being crass and being dirty and shedding a light on politics within my performances. I think it’s important to work hard and get people to vote, but I don’t think that I would personally be a good politician [laughs]. 

Will Drag Out the Vote be doing more digital drag fest events like this?
Yes, I think this is the first of many. While we maneuver this social distancing, I think we are going to come up with even better ideas and ways to get out to the public through online. 

Before we wrap up, I would like to ask you a couple Drag Race-related questions since we are currently in the midst of your season. Congrats on your run! How has the show changed your life, and what more would you like to do with your platform?
Thank you! It’s funny you ask this because if you asked me a year ago when we were filming this, if that I would be on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but I would be stuck at my parents’ house for 36 days while it was airing, I wouldn’t have believe you.

So, you know, the only thing we have in front of us is social media. Everyone hopes that when they are on Drag Race that it’s a way to make more money, but we’re not making any money, so it’s kind of hard. My life has changed drastically because we are quarantined, but you know, it is this amazing platform where I get to do things like Drag Out the Vote to just make things aware. We all have an incredible platform now to do good, and it’s incredible. 

This was your first time auditioning for Drag Race. Why did you want to be on the show?
As a drag queen, I think it was the next step for me. I wasn’t plateauing, but in any career, you want to go to the next step. I thought it was the next step and thought it was time. It has such a large platform; it’s gone on to an international level now.

I thought it was the next step in my career, and I don’t regret any of it. I’m really glad it happened. I love live performing, and it sucks that we’re quarantined right now, but I hope that after all of this is said and done, we get the opportunity that we deserve. 

Was Drag Race exactly what you imagined, or the complete opposite?
Drag Race is totally a race, and it is also the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life because it’s so fast. You’re just working from morning to the crack of dawn trying to get everything together for it. It wasn’t what I expected. It was much harder.

What would you say is the biggest lesson you learned by being on Drag Race?
To breathe and not to get in my head so much. I definitely was really stressed out and got in my head so much that I started to put that pressure on other people instead of focusing on myself. I learned a lot watching the show back and knowing that it’s not okay to bring someone down just because you are feeling a certain way and you’re under that pressure.

So, that was a big thing I learned, and I regret those moments, but I very quickly apologized. But yeah, to not let the stress get to me. Drag is supposed to be fun. If I’m not having fun, then why am I doing it? That is something I had to remind myself. 

What’s next for you? What other upcoming projects should we be on the lookout for once quarantine is over?
I have this YouTube page that has all these giant production numbers that I do. I love creating giant production numbers. Almost like Broadway, but make it drag and add anything Brita Filterness and pop culture to it. Just fusing them altogether. Once we can get out of all of this, I want to do a live, immersive theatre drag show. Almost like Sleep No More in New York, but with drag. Thinking outside the box. I am going to take a fairy tale, and I want to turn it on its head and take you through an adventure.