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U.S. actress and artist D'Arcy Drollinger is proud to support drag culture

Photo: Noah Berger / AP

U.S. actress and nightclub owner D'Arcy Drollinger has been named San Francisco's first drag ambassador. "While drag culture is under attack in other parts of the country, in San Francisco we celebrate and promote the great artists," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said. The job is important, "We want to make sure to give everyone a voice, no matter where you come from or who you are or who you love," Breed said.

San Francisco has been considered a pioneer of LGBTQ rights since the sixties. Since 2015, schools and libraries in the liberal Californian coastal city have been hosting drag readings. Other states have also adopted the model. The English abbreviation LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.

141 anti-LGBTQ incidents and threats

Drollinger receives a $55,000 scholarship from the city. This will allow her to organize queer events during her 18-month tenure. The project is a joint initiative of the Mayor's Office, the City Library and the Human Rights Commission.

She is "proud to live in a city that occupies this position for the first time, while other parts of the U.S. and the world may not support drag culture," said Drollinger, who also writes screenplays.

According to GLAAD, an organization that advocates for gay and transgender rights, 141 anti-LGBTQ incidents and threats against queer events were recorded in the U.S. last year. Just last month, for example, an Ohio man was accused of attempting to burn down a church where drag shows were taking place.

Transphobic law prohibits medical care

Conservatives in the U.S. are currently targeting gender and sexuality with a series of measures. In recent months, a dozen Republican-governed states have passed laws that severely restrict the rights of trans people. In Florida, for example, lawmakers approved a law in early May that prohibits doctors from providing medical care to transgender minors in the context of gender reassignment surgery.

Last month, Florida also expanded a law passed in 2022 and dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics. This means that teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited in all school classes. Previously, the ban applied from kindergarten to third grade.

AFP/LAL