f{"id":25888,"date":"2023-04-10T20:20:01","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T03:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=25888"},"modified":"2023-04-10T20:20:03","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T03:20:03","slug":"more-than-1000-rally-against-hate-at-s-f-drag-up-fight-back-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/04\/10\/more-than-1000-rally-against-hate-at-s-f-drag-up-fight-back-march\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 1,000 rally against hate at S.F. \u2018Drag Up! Fight Back!\u2019 march"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A — A crowd marches down Market Street in San Francisco during the \u201cDrag Up! Fight Back!\u201d rally, which attracted more than 1,000 people.\u00a0Constanza Hevia H.\/Special to The Chronicle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"The$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"Drag$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
More than 1,000 people joined San Francisco community leaders, elected officials and drag performers Saturday to protest the growing wave of anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cDrag Up! Fight Back!\u201d march and rally kicked off at 11 a.m. at City Hall, where protesters painted signs and greeted old friends, many dressed in drag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activist and drag king Alex U. Inn, one of the event\u2019s organizers, energized the ever-growing group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs it OK to take our joy?\u201d Inn asked the crowd, which shouted back, \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen we have to fight to make it right,\u201d Inn said. \u201cWe\u2019ve fought for our rights before, and we\u2019ll do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Nicole$
Nicole Murray Ramirez (left), Alex U. Inn and Honey Mahogany march to Union Square.\u00a0Constanza Hevia H.\/Special to The Chronicle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The rally was organized in response to several bills nationwide that take aim at the LGBTQ community. Tennessee recently passed HB30, which categorizes drag as \u201cadult cabaret\u201d and bans performances in front of children or within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks or places of worship. Fourteen other states are considering bans on drag shows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 450 anti-LGBTQ bills are under review in legislatures across the U.S., according to the ACLU<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protesters, touting rainbow and pink-and-blue signs reading, \u201cProtect Trans Kids,\u201d \u201cDrag the lawmakers, let the queens read,\u201d and \u201cDrag is an art not a crime,\u201d marched from City Hall to Union Square, at one point stretching along Market Street from Seventh and Grove streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t the joy here beautiful?\u201d said Merrick, who recently moved to San Francisco from the South. \u201cI went to conversion therapy. I know what they do down there (in the South). I am so happy to be here now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mood was simultaneously joyous and indignant, as marchers celebrated their right to express themselves in drag in San Francisco while fearing for the rights of their counterparts in other parts of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jen Gripman, who came into San Francisco for the march with her husband, held a sign painted in blue and pink in the pattern of the trans flag reading, \u201cProud mom who knows that gender affirming care saves lives.\u201d It featured photos of her child as a toddler and young adult, with the captions \u201cI loved him then\u201d and \u201cI love her now\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m out here a lot on Market Street, and this time it\u2019s personal,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to come out for my own kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mood was also tinged in sadness, as many marchers held signs picturing S.F. drag great Heklina, who died last week<\/a> while visiting London. The cause of Heklina\u2019s death has not been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday is tough, because she would have been here,\u201d Inn said, choking up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marchers and other spectators filled Union Square to hear from speakers, many renowned drag performers and activists, interspersed with drag dance performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the speakers took the moment to recognize how much the LGBTQ community has been through and that the fight is not over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA war has been declared on us, the LGBTQ community, by the radical right wing of this nation,\u201d Nicole Murray-Ramirez<\/a>, an activist and San Diego city commissioner, told the crowd. \u201cBut they do not know our history or our resolve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact is, we\u2019ve already won. Our community has made such progress,\u201d said activist and performer Sister Roma, who helped organize the event as part of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. \u201cWe\u2019ve come to understand that freedom of expression and individuality is beautiful, and we have the youth of our country on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State Sen. Scott Wiener said politicians pushing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and agendas are trying to avoid discussing other problems in the nation, including gun violence, income inequality and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to let them get away with it. And if there\u2019s one thing that I learned over the last 36 years \u2026 it\u2019s don\u2019t mess with the drag queens,\u201d he said. \u201cThis community has struggled, and we have always come out stronger because that\u2019s how we roll.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many speakers emphasized that the movement is not about hating others, but rather using the love and the strength in the community to continue making progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaking art is a protest too. Making our art. So this is the time to sparkle brighter. Be louder. Be more fabulous,\u201d said drag performer D\u2019Arcy Drollinger, owner of the Oasis nightclub \u201cIf you live your life a little more fabulous, you inspire other people to be more fabulous just by your existence. And if everyone\u2019s a little more fabulous, there\u2019s that much less room in their heart, in their minds, for hate and prejudice. So don\u2019t stop sparkling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reach Danielle Echeverria: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @DanielleEchev <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written By Danielle Echeverria<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Danielle Echeverria is a reporter for The Chronicle\u2019s Engagement and Breaking News team. She recently completed her Master’s degree in journalism at Stanford University, where she won the Nicholas Roosevelt Environmental Journalism Award for her reporting and covered agriculture, climate change and worker safety. She previously interned The Chronicle on the Business desk, as well as at Big Local News, focusing on data journalism. She is originally from Bakersfield, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"San$ <\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"HEARST$ \u00a92023 Hearst Communications, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Danielle Echeverria April 8, 2023 Updated: April 9, 2023 1:43\u00a0p.m. (SFChronicle.com) Comments More than 1,000 people joined San Francisco community leaders, elected officials and drag performers Saturday to protest the growing wave of anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country. The \u201cDrag Up! Fight Back!\u201d march and rally kicked off at… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

A crowd marches down Market Street in San Francisco during the \u201cDrag Up! Fight Back!\u201d rally, which attracted more than 1,000 people.\u00a0Constanza Hevia H.\/Special to The Chronicle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"The$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"Drag$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
More than 1,000 people joined San Francisco community leaders, elected officials and drag performers Saturday to protest the growing wave of anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cDrag Up! Fight Back!\u201d march and rally kicked off at 11 a.m. at City Hall, where protesters painted signs and greeted old friends, many dressed in drag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activist and drag king Alex U. Inn, one of the event\u2019s organizers, energized the ever-growing group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs it OK to take our joy?\u201d Inn asked the crowd, which shouted back, \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen we have to fight to make it right,\u201d Inn said. \u201cWe\u2019ve fought for our rights before, and we\u2019ll do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Nicole$
Nicole Murray Ramirez (left), Alex U. Inn and Honey Mahogany march to Union Square.\u00a0Constanza Hevia H.\/Special to The Chronicle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The rally was organized in response to several bills nationwide that take aim at the LGBTQ community. Tennessee recently passed HB30, which categorizes drag as \u201cadult cabaret\u201d and bans performances in front of children or within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks or places of worship. Fourteen other states are considering bans on drag shows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 450 anti-LGBTQ bills are under review in legislatures across the U.S., according to the ACLU<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protesters, touting rainbow and pink-and-blue signs reading, \u201cProtect Trans Kids,\u201d \u201cDrag the lawmakers, let the queens read,\u201d and \u201cDrag is an art not a crime,\u201d marched from City Hall to Union Square, at one point stretching along Market Street from Seventh and Grove streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t the joy here beautiful?\u201d said Merrick, who recently moved to San Francisco from the South. \u201cI went to conversion therapy. I know what they do down there (in the South). I am so happy to be here now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mood was simultaneously joyous and indignant, as marchers celebrated their right to express themselves in drag in San Francisco while fearing for the rights of their counterparts in other parts of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jen Gripman, who came into San Francisco for the march with her husband, held a sign painted in blue and pink in the pattern of the trans flag reading, \u201cProud mom who knows that gender affirming care saves lives.\u201d It featured photos of her child as a toddler and young adult, with the captions \u201cI loved him then\u201d and \u201cI love her now\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m out here a lot on Market Street, and this time it\u2019s personal,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to come out for my own kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mood was also tinged in sadness, as many marchers held signs picturing S.F. drag great Heklina, who died last week<\/a> while visiting London. The cause of Heklina\u2019s death has not been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday is tough, because she would have been here,\u201d Inn said, choking up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marchers and other spectators filled Union Square to hear from speakers, many renowned drag performers and activists, interspersed with drag dance performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the speakers took the moment to recognize how much the LGBTQ community has been through and that the fight is not over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA war has been declared on us, the LGBTQ community, by the radical right wing of this nation,\u201d Nicole Murray-Ramirez<\/a>, an activist and San Diego city commissioner, told the crowd. \u201cBut they do not know our history or our resolve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact is, we\u2019ve already won. Our community has made such progress,\u201d said activist and performer Sister Roma, who helped organize the event as part of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. \u201cWe\u2019ve come to understand that freedom of expression and individuality is beautiful, and we have the youth of our country on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State Sen. Scott Wiener said politicians pushing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and agendas are trying to avoid discussing other problems in the nation, including gun violence, income inequality and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to let them get away with it. And if there\u2019s one thing that I learned over the last 36 years \u2026 it\u2019s don\u2019t mess with the drag queens,\u201d he said. \u201cThis community has struggled, and we have always come out stronger because that\u2019s how we roll.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many speakers emphasized that the movement is not about hating others, but rather using the love and the strength in the community to continue making progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaking art is a protest too. Making our art. So this is the time to sparkle brighter. Be louder. Be more fabulous,\u201d said drag performer D\u2019Arcy Drollinger, owner of the Oasis nightclub \u201cIf you live your life a little more fabulous, you inspire other people to be more fabulous just by your existence. And if everyone\u2019s a little more fabulous, there\u2019s that much less room in their heart, in their minds, for hate and prejudice. So don\u2019t stop sparkling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reach Danielle Echeverria: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @DanielleEchev <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written By Danielle Echeverria<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Danielle Echeverria is a reporter for The Chronicle\u2019s Engagement and Breaking News team. She recently completed her Master’s degree in journalism at Stanford University, where she won the Nicholas Roosevelt Environmental Journalism Award for her reporting and covered agriculture, climate change and worker safety. She previously interned The Chronicle on the Business desk, as well as at Big Local News, focusing on data journalism. She is originally from Bakersfield, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"San$ <\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"HEARST$ \u00a92023 Hearst Communications, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Danielle Echeverria April 8, 2023 Updated: April 9, 2023 1:43\u00a0p.m. (SFChronicle.com) Comments More than 1,000 people joined San Francisco community leaders, elected officials and drag performers Saturday to protest the growing wave of anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country. The \u201cDrag Up! Fight Back!\u201d march and rally kicked off at… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}