No rain nor bigotry could wash out the joyous display of pride, solidarity, and support that gathered outside Brewhouse Pub in Renton on Saturday, December 10. Live speakers, a brass band, and community organizers showed up for a crowd of nearly a hundred people in support of both Brewhouse Pub and the drag queens the bar had recruited for a new story hour.
Bigots attack Brewhouse
Brewhouse Pub became the center of controversy earlier in the week when right-wing protesters took to the internet and later the streets outside the bar to condemn the pub for introducing a new community engagement project known as "drag queen story hour." The uproar reached violent new heights on Wednesday, December 7, when the front window of the business was shot at by a protester. An employee of a nearby coffee shop reported that they saw the shooter fleeing the scene in an unmarked car.
The vandalism of Brewhouse Pub came on the heels of increased violence toward the Queer community and left many in the Seattle area shaken. Despite the fears that further retaliation could ensue, many brave LGBTQ+ people and allies organized a solidarity rally to show support for the business.
Community members spread love and demand action
"We need people to know that we are here, we are a force, and also to make spaces that are safe and brave for our community, and to make sure that all of us get represented in every area," said one of the protest organizers, Andrew Ashiofu.
"I am here today to continue to stand with my community members for our safety," added fellow organizer Deaunte Damper. "We just thought we were going to close the year with murders, but here we are in this space to advocate for our community members at Brewhouse. There's nothing wrong with getting read a book. And we need to continue talking about inclusivity. We're here today not only to protect ourselves, but to demand safety and demand public safety for us, and that also goes to policy change for our people."
While most gathered outside Brewhouse to stand in solidarity, especially with the drag queens and children impacted by the hatred and violence of protesters, many also used the moment to call on people in leadership positions to do more when it comes to protecting LGBTQ+ people.
"[Hatred] continues as our politicians and media continue to make LGBTQ communities a target so they can win elections, so they can take power in Congress when we need to be fighting back and we need to be fighting for our families, too. It is all of us here that makes our community protected," shared speaker Winter Coffman.
Ashiofu also took to the mic to remind those in attendance that when hatred goes unchecked it spreads beyond just the borders of the United States. "What we don't know is that hatred spreads globally," he said. "A lot of anti-LGBTQ+ rights groups in Nigeria and [elsewhere in] Africa were sponsored by right-wing American Christians, and I have to stress this, no offense, white right-wing American Christians. So this also has connections to racism, homophobia, anti-feminism, transphobia, everything is rooted in America, but we need to start destroying these [ideologies]," he said.
Fighting hatred with joy
Prominent LGBTQ+ leaders also showed up to the event, not only as a sign of solidarity but also as a sign of bravery and resilience in the face of those who were trying to use fear to keep them at home. Seattle Pride Vice President Gabby Pennisi voiced her pride in the community that had rallied in the pouring rain to show their love for their LGBTQ+ siblings. "I am saddened that we have to be here today, but I am joyful that we are here in such numbers. I am so happy that there are things like this continuing to happen and that no one is scared to continue filling this space up with such a wonderful thing that's happening. Thank you everybody for coming and braving this rain," she said.
City Councilmember Carmen Riviera was also one of the leading speakers and organizers who showed up to the event. "I'm here because there was a group that was going to organize a protest against this beautiful drag queen story hour that was happening right here in Renton, Washington, right down the street from where I live. As one of the first Queer council members, when a community member reached out to me about this, it was my responsibility to then reach out to the most impacted business and see what they wanted me to do and then we decided to do a counterprotest," she said.
"I have an amazing community here in Renton. I just try to uplift and enhance people's voices in this community in Renton who are Queer and are directly impacted. The drag queens were impacted. Our kids were impacted! I want to use my position in power to uplift young voices and make them feel empowered," she continued.
On the mic, Riviera also thanked those who braved the cold and the threats of violence to stand in support. "I want to give everyone here a round of applause for being here. I don't know if you found out on Facebook, on Twitter, on TikTok, I don't know how you found out about this, but it's incredible to see so many amazing people come out with just a simple call," she said.
"I knew we were going to outnumber them. I knew it because there's so much more love here than there ever has been hatred, and they aren't even here because they know, they know, they know. They know our kids are safer with our [drag] queens and with our community and with love than with bigotry and ignorance and hate that's fueled by awful right-wing agendas that are meant to divide this country rather than bring us together," she continued.
Anti-LGBTQ+ protesters too scared to show up
As Riviera pointed out, the anti-LGBTQ+ protesters who were supposed to arrive outside Brewhouse in throngs never showed up. Instead, just two protesters paced the street across from the bar, unable to even get a look at the festivities through a strong line of Queer security.
"Her name is Katie Daviscourt. She dubbed herself the Proud Boy Barbie, she's a known fascist, she's full of hate," explained LGBTQ+ ally and protester Kristie, describing one of the two anti-LGBTQ+ protestors. "And that's Jonathan Cho. He used to work for KOMO News, but he got fired. They're both Proud Boys. She dubbed herself the Proud Boy Barbie and he got fired from KOMO for supporting the Proud Boys."
While the hateful anti-LGBTQ+ protesters thought they might have scared off the Queer community with attempts at violence earlier in the week, they were ultimately the ones too afraid to come out, perhaps because they knew the Queer community would band together to protect one another.
One member of the community who showed up to ensure their friends and family would remain safe was Kai, a member of the Guardian Rebellion. "We're here to make sure that Queer people have the right to go and do what they want to do," he said. "The hatred that we've seen across the country recently is fucking ridiculous, and when we heard there were possibly people protesting this event we just knew we had to show up. I'm amazed seeing all the people today. We're here to make sure this event goes off safely and smoothly for everyone."
"We're stronger together"
Everyone who showed up on Saturday was met with pure joy, from throwback emo hits and Lil Nas X bops blasted out by the brass band to the jubilant speakers and clever activist signs. However, the day could not have been a full success without the opportunity to hear from the drag performers themselves.
Dominique Stevens lit up the crowd when they took to the microphone to spread their message of inclusivity. "As a drag performer, as a drag king, a proud drag king, I want to let y'all know this message is seemingly for the outside naysayers, but they're gonna all die off soon. And in that process of them eliminating themselves, this is the time when we stand united with every network, every power, every being and make that peace and make sure that this stays a place of peace," they said.
"We're going into 2023. This shit is redundant. Our grandparents would do this. Our great-grandparents would do this. We don't want the unborn generation to have to go through this. We stand strong, we stand united, there are lawyers out here, there are other organizers out here, there are even some people who might want to slap a bitch out here, and we support them too, okay? So what I'm saying is we band together, we never let this tiny-ass bullet in this space faze us. You cannot eliminate us, okay? Anytime they try to step up and take us out, remind them every single time that you are a microcosm in the universe and your shit doesn't matter because our shit is more important than what you are trying to do. So, in a message of love, continue to show up and know that your power makes us better when we're stronger together."
Love won in Renton as brave Queers and allies showed up and showed the haters that violence, threats, and bigotry will never silence resilient drag queens.