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The courage drag performers have shown is an example for all of us

There has been a lot of attention on Moore County in the week since the attack on its electrical system, an act that left 45,000 homes without power for days. The aftermath has affected residents of the area, and struck fear in residents within the state. Lots of outlets have reported on recovery efforts, but one story from that night stands out.

A drag show was taking place that night. The drag performers and organizers of the event had received hate-filled messages for three weeks after the show was announced. The day of, there were protests led by right-wing activist Emily Rainey and counter-protests from supporters. The performers had security that night, and there were police officers in plainclothes in the venue. The performers, of course, were in dresses and wigs.

The moment the power went out in the theater, drag performer and show host Naomi Dix had all attendees of the sold out show turn on their phone flashlights to light up the room. In footage from the night, you can hear Dix leading the audience in singing “Halo” by Beyoncé, then “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. She continued the show for another 45 minutes.

Southern Pines is not Dix’s home. She and other organizers could have said that the power outage is not their problem, and it’d be hard to blame them: Law enforcement has made no official connection between the shooting of the substations and the drag show, although many people are (rightfully) scrutinizing the timing. Rainey even posted on Facebook after the event that she “knew why” the power grid was sabotaged, insinuating that it was a direct response to the drag show (she later denied that she knew anything about the attack).

It will be a while before we have clear answers. But the comment from Rainey highlights a real fear of the LGBTQ community: the anxiety, and potential reality, that gay people are so reviled people would inflict acts of terror upon their communities to stop it. Instead of succumbing to that fear, Dix and other LGBTQ advocates have used the moment to ensure Moore County residents get the help they deserve. Their bravery should not be overlooked.

North Carolina had more attacks on drag events this year than any other state in the country. Raafe Purnsley, known by his drag name Stormie Daie, says that part of the job is not new, especially for performers of color. He sites what James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone all endured from the public. It’s what he, Dix, and other drag performers have been undergoing all year.

Dix in particular has been a leader in the aftermath. I met Dix in June at Apex Pride, another event that was targeted with threats. When I asked whether she was scared about the threats that Drag Story Hour received, she said she wasn’t.

“This is a ground and a space for inclusivity and peace and love and happiness,” Dix said at the time, “and I understand that certain things are happening in the world right now, but that’s why we create spaces like this.”

When Dix first started performing a decade ago, she says she didn’t expect events like this. “You don’t get into drag knowing that society has been taught to dislike you, to hate you, to treat you as though you’re different,” she tells me. And even though she receives the full force of that hate, her values don’t waiver. As she told the crowd of protestors and counterprotestors outside the theater before the show: “Love is free.”

She and the other organizers embody what extremists fear: people who create safe spaces to buck systems of power, and empower others to stand up for themselves and be who they are, without apology. They embody the love communities like Moore County claim to show, and they do not compromise their values, even though they have every right to turn a blind eye.

These are the people setting an example for the rest of us through their courage and empathy. We are fortunate to have them.