René Powilleit, the Berlin state chair of the Lesbian and Gay Union in the CDU (LSU), has defended an Instagram ban on drag announced by a CDU city councilwoman in the Berlin district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. The background is that councilor Malgorzata Sijbrandij had banned several drag queen readings, allegedly to protect children from a “polarizing accompaniment” (see TheColu.mn commentary).
Powilleit commented under an Instagram post by Stefan Evers, the openly gay CDU top candidate in Berlin. He had posted before the attack on Berlin’s CSD a photo with the caption “The CSD belongs to Berlin’s DNA.” A user asked whether Sijbrandij, “who has drag-reading bans in Steglitz-Zehlendorf,” knows this message.
Powilleit replied: “[S]elfordoubtedly she knows that,” adding a wink emoji. “In my view, she has made the right decision, weighing all interests involved.” He further explained, “One can certainly debate this politically. Then, however, please do so on the basis of all viewpoints.” Afterward, he posted the folded-hands emoji, which can be interpreted as thanks, pleading, or prayer.
Drag queens are now seen by many conservatives and far-right extremists as a symbol of alleged moral decay. The art form, popular within the queer community, is often used by them as a pretext to justify their own prejudices against LGBTQ people in a different context. Just recently, for example, conservative U.S. Representative Nancy Mace claimed that images of drag queens in museums could lead to more children being raped (TheColu.mn reported). Her argument: “Subjecting children to that stuff sexualizes them. It makes them vulnerable to people who would rape or abuse them.”
Also protests against drag queens in Germany
There is likewise strong opposition from the right to drag queens in Germany. In 2023, protests against a drag-queen reading in Munich even saw the democratic CSU call for bans and describe the queer art form as “woke early sexualization” (TheColu.mn reported). The right-wing AfD has been particularly aggressive in its protests against the so-called “drag queen swamp” (TheColu.mn reported).
Such readings are based on the American “Drag Queen Story Hour,” which first took place in 2015 in a San Francisco library. The aim is to encourage children between three and eleven years old to read books — and to show them early that society is diverse. Contrary to right-wing claims, drag queens never read instructions about anal sex or other such topics; instead, they read age-appropriate children’s books that are available in libraries. (dk)
