An Arizona drag show to raise funds and show solidarity for Palestinians was canceled on Friday after organizers experienced harsh criticism on social media.
The “Drag Show for Palestine” was scheduled to be held at the Palbaras Bilingual Bookstore on Saturday but head organizer and drag queen “Daddy Satan” said, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been canceled.”
“We are all very bummed about it but appreciate the outpouring of love and support from the community,” said Daddy Satan. “So many people put a lot of work into this, and it just goes to show how much support is behind Palestine.”
The drag queen clarified on Saturday that the event was canceled because the other drag queens and the venue were “facing bullying” and getting “caught in the crossfires of hate.”
Drag queens state they will fight for justice
“I can’t thank them [Palabras] enough for all they’ve done, and I’m so sorry for the way people are throwing hate towards them,” said Daddy Satan. “As well as my lovely drag entertainers, you were meant to help people process this terrible time in history and give us hope and joy so that we may all join in and continue the fight for justice. You all don’t deserve the hate that has come about and for that, I am truly sorry.”
Daddy Satan said that the online backlash was caused by the event being shared by social media accounts like Libs of TikTok.
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Libs of TikTok, an X account run by activist Chaya Raichik, criticized the event for allowing children to attend despite featuring adult content and topics. The account also joked that drag on behalf of Palestinians didn’t make sense.
Daddy Satan addressed comments, noting that such an event could never take place in Gaza because LGBTQ+ content wouldn’t be allowed. “Anyone can have a different belief system than me. People can even hate queers all they want, but I will never condone genocide just because someone is different,” he said.
The drag queen added that the incident inspired him and his supporters to plan an even larger event.