Activists Shield All-Ages Drag Show From Transphobic Protesters

It's Pride Weekend in the Twin Ports, and as part of the festivities an all-ages drag show was held at the Duluth Flame on Labor Day.  A reactionary, out of town, group called "Hold the Line Minnesota" worked themselves into a lather that the event was designed to brain wash kids, so they called a protest.  About three dozen of them showed up about an hour before the drag show was to start.  They had to set up across the street though, because a group of WE Health Clinic escorts had gotten there even earlier and occupied the space in front of the Flame.  

The Clinic Escorts, along with some other activists and Flame staff, wore bright colored vests, and held either rainbow umbrellas or flags.  We formed a "welcome line", blocking the reactionary protesters, and allowing room for the drag show attendees to get through.  The goal was to keep the space open, and to try and make it as welcoming and safe feeling as possible.  The umbrellas and flags were used to both form a protective barrier, as well as to shield the drag show attendees from being filmed.  (For military history buffs, picture a medieval shield wall.)

For most of the time, the transphobes stayed across the streets holding signs and shouting through a bullhorn.  Their messaging was all over the place.  At times they tried to say that they were only concerned about children being exposed to sexually suggestive material, and that they had no problem with the LGBTQAI+ community.  But unable to help themselves, they frequently just started spewing out right homophobic and transphobic insults.  Fortunately, their reactionary taunts were drowned out by the played from a sound system set up on the sidewalk by the Flame staff.

In addition to heckling, the transphobes also tried to film people going into the Flame.  They had a camera mounted on a tripod on the back of a truck, a mobile camera person, and some of them just used their cell phones.  The wall of umbrellas thwarted most of that, and when the transphobes started rushing with their cameras at attendees coming and going, the escorts formed umbrella teams to meet folks up to a block away, and escort them to and from the event.

Things got very tense a couple of times when groups of the transphobes pushed their way into the welcome line.  Some of them sported handguns, bullet proof vests and ammo bags strapped to their torsos.  Thankfully, none of them ever unholstered their guns.  Activists responded by continuing to form a line in front of them, protecting the drag show and the attendees.  Tempers flared, but the line always held, and eventually the transphobes always retreated back to the other side of the street.

Then, just before the drag show was about to end, the reactionary shouting fest ended with barely a whimper.  One by one the transphobes got back into their trucks, and drove off - leaving nothing behind except some black exhaust and an impromptu sidewalk party as the drag show attendees came outside and mingled with the activists.

We want to thank everyone who refused to be intimidated by Hold the Line, and attended the all-ages drag show in spite of their antics.  And of course, a special thank you to all of the clinic escorts, activists, community members and Flame staff who kept the reactionaries at bay.  You all rock!  Given that these reactionaries were armed, we're not going to name any names, but to those who organized and directed the welcome line, you did a fantastic job and are very much appreciated!  

On Labor Day, 2022, the Twin Ports stood up and made clear that transphobic bullying is NOT welcome in our community!

>> The article above was written collectively by members of the Northwoods Socialist Collective.