Google drops drag show sponsorship amid petition from Christian employees

[swissman]

1 hour ago, banterfly said:

I don't get why drag shows = progressive. They don't represent the LGBTQ community or what they stand for.

Drag is a subversive artform that has people performing in ways that society has deemed unacceptable for their gender. To then celebrate that art form as valid is a progressive view on not just the art, but queerness as a whole. It doesn't need to represent the community or what they stand for, but because they are largely the most visible people in the LGBTQ community, they have taken on the quality of a "mascot" where they symbolize the entire thing, even if that is not the case.

 

Not only that, being some of the most vilified of the community makes them and their work matter even more, and they are inadvertently thrust into the conversation and made to answer for much of the community at times. We should not look down on this or them and scoff at the fact that they are seen as progression of a symbol of the community. We should be thankful that they are so brave to go against the grain while many of us are just content to fade into the background.

 

Compare this to a pop star, or a movie star. For many people around the world, the idea of America is tied up with its performers, people who wear opulent costumes or play different characters. They are not generally representative of the country as a whole, nor even certain communities at times. They are the flashiest, most seen, most well-known versions of Americans, and thus they become synonymous with the country more than the average person ever well. It's inevitable, and not something we need to question or put down.

[Iyanla, Fix Me]

Peaches Christ made me chuckle. However it is a lil rude and I don’t think any other religious group would appreciate it either. So it is a bit valid. In the end they could’ve found another queen. 

 

I personally don’t love drag culture it’s not for me. and I’m not sure why it’s become the face of the LGBT community. Like if you want a pride event why not focus on other parts of the community. Why not have a black and Latino queer panel? Or LGBT screenwriters event? Or literally anything else? Idk why the default is always to drag queens i simply don’t get it. 

[getBusy]

I’m surprised this isn’t all over tiktok tbh

[banterfly]

25 minutes ago, PrettyHurts said:

Trying to separate drag from the lgbt community is ludicrous  

Some users here were saying this move was "backwards" when drag shows themselves do not represent "progress". There are better things that represent inclusion and tolerance than this is all I'm saying.

[swissman]

4 minutes ago, Iyanla, Fix Me said:

Peaches Christ made me chuckle. However it is a lil rude and I don’t think any other religious group would appreciate it either. So it is a bit valid. In the end they could’ve found another queen. 

 

I personally don’t love drag culture it’s not for me. and I’m not sure why it’s become the face of the LGBT community. Like if you want a pride event why not focus on other parts of the community. Why not have a black and Latino queer panel? Or LGBT screenwriters event? Or literally anything else? Idk why the default is always to drag queens i simply don’t get it. 

The default is to hire drag queens because they are entertainers. For events, people like to be entertained.

 

No one questions why at town fairs, there has to be a musical act that is the centre of the festivities.

 

Panels are interesting and have a lot of value, but it's not as if they don't exist during Pride. It's just that the more spectacle-oriented, fun-focused events will be the ones with the most attention, promotion, and likely...attendance.

[banterfly]

33 minutes ago, swissman said:

Drag is a subversive artform that has people performing in ways that society has deemed unacceptable for their gender. To then celebrate that art form as valid is a progressive view on not just the art, but queerness as a whole. It doesn't need to represent the community or what they stand for, but because they are largely the most visible people in the LGBTQ community, they have taken on the quality of a "mascot" where they symbolize the entire thing, even if that is not the case.

 

Not only that, being some of the most vilified of the community makes them and their work matter even more, and they are inadvertently thrust into the conversation and made to answer for much of the community at times. We should not look down on this or them and scoff at the fact that they are seen as progression of a symbol of the community. We should be thankful that they are so brave to go against the grain while many of us are just content to fade into the background.

 

Compare this to a pop star, or a movie star. For many people around the world, the idea of America is tied up with its performers, people who wear opulent costumes or play different characters. They are not generally representative of the country as a whole, nor even certain communities at times. They are the flashiest, most seen, most well-known versions of Americans, and thus they become synonymous with the country more than the average person ever well. It's inevitable, and not something we need to question or put down.

There are some drag shows that are entertaining art forms, but then there are some that are inappropriate for their intended audience.

 

I'm not advocating for banning it, but there should be regulations to make sure they're appropriate, you know just like other art forms.

[khalyan]

Peaches is a legend too

[swissman]

2 hours ago, banterfly said:

There are some drag shows that are entertaining art forms, but then there are some that are inappropriate for their intended audience.

 

I'm not advocating for banning it, but there should be regulations to make sure they're appropriate, you know just like other art forms.

Now we are pivoting to the perceived appropriateness of drag? Again, drag is a subversive act. It's not always going to be clean-cut and wrapped up in a digestible package but that does NOT mean it needs official regulation. That idea is not only ridiculous but entirely hypocritical because actually, other art forms don't have this sort of regulation aside from maybe movies.

[heaven.on.earth]

13 hours ago, elevate said:

Why aren't the queer employees and their "allies" also protesting?

im sure Google takes their concerns less seriously, which is sad 😭

[Bloo]

10 hours ago, banterfly said:

I don't get why drag shows = progressive. They don't represent the LGBTQ community or what they stand for.

Of course you're making this argument.  

[harwee]

Idiotic move.

 

But I think problems like these are symptom of bigger internal issues. I really think Google's on its phase 3 lifecycle (decline).