Oregon lawmakers invited drag queens to the House floor in recognition of the state’s Pride Month Resolution.
State Rep. Dwayne Yunker (R) condemned the event, calling it “outrageous” and a “complete waste of taxpayer money.”
Yunker noted the drag performance was held “in honor of a Democratic House resolution recognizing Black drag queens in Oregon.”
Following the performance, the Oregon lawmaker stated, “I’m not sure the Founding Fathers envisioned taxpayer-funded legislative chambers being turned into platforms for political theater. The House floor is meant for serious debate, lawmaking, and serving all Oregonians not partisan spectacles designed to push cultural agendas.”
“If this feels more like a performance than governance, you’re not alone,” he added.
The resolution says that Oregon “has a rich tradition of building, supporting and celebrating LGBTQ communities, and the Black drag community in Portland is among the most vibrant and storied in the entire United States.” It added that Portland’s “Black drag community is deeply rooted in an illustrious history of fantasy, and members of the community have significantly contributed to the Black drag entertainment culture, fostering creativity and inclusivity since as far back as 1958.”
The resolution goes on to list numerous drag performers and notes that “countless Black drag entertainers have made their mark in this state.”
“[W]e, the members of the House of Representatives of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly, recognize and honor Oregon’s rich history of Black drag, and we congratulate all those whose spirited contributions have made Oregon’s Black drag community one of the most vibrant and vital in the nation,” it concludes.
