Arizona Bookstore Nixes ‘Drag Show for Palestine’ Event After Backlash

A bilingual Arizona bookstore canceled its family-friendly “Drag Show for Palestine” following backlash over the planned performance, with critics noting that drag shows — as well as any sort of LGBTQ expression — are strictly prohibited in Palestinian-controlled areas, with offenders risking their very lives.

An ad for the event, scheduled for Saturday at the Phoenix, Arizona, Palabras Book Store and open to children “[at] their [parents’] discretion,” called on locals to join “for a night of Drag and Community” in “solidarity with Palestine.” 

The event was to feature local organizers, speeches, education, food, and drag performances with a “talented” cast whom the facilitators suggest tipping. 

“We will have local organizers, speeches, education, food, and of course, DRAG!” the ad reads. “We have an especially talented cast for you, entry is free so bring tips for the artists!”

The local Phoenix bookstore’s website describes itself as a “community refuge and cultural hub centering the voices of BIPOC (black indigenous, people of color) across intersections.” 

It also outlines the store’s mission, which is to:

Counter and challenge the history and currently very active silencing of BIPOC stories and voices by providing a safe and encouraging space for cultural representation, healing and liberation of historically minoritized BIPOC (Black Indigenous, People of Color, across intersections) through community engagement involving literature and the arts.

The site even includes an entire section devoted to the “liberation movement” of the Palestinians, including links to the radical anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, as well as the New York-based Palestinian pro-terror group Within our Lifetime.

Later this week, the indie bookshop will host Derecka Purnell, an author who advocates for a total abolition of the police force.

After news of the “Drag Show for Palestine” event spread, backlash ensued.

“How was this even a thing?” asked conservative political commentator Ian Miles Cheong.

“They should do this IN Palestine,” suggested comedian Tim Young.

“Who is going to tell them what happens to LGBT in Palestine?” asked author and influencer Oli London. 

“Satire is dead,” wrote Australian commentator Rita Panahi.

“Homosexuality is condemned in the Palestinian territories and is criminalized in Gaza under the Muslim government,” noted journalist Andy Ngô.

The event was eventually scrubbed from the bookstore’s site and canceled.

The event’s host, “Daddy Satan,” a self-described pansexual “drag demon,” said in a subsequent post that the event was canceled “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

In early March, radical transgender activist Qween Jean accused elected officials who support Israel’s right to defend itself of being the “real terrorists” in the conflict in Gaza — not the U.S.-designated Islamic terror group Hamas, which has a history of extraordinary persecution and violence toward LGBTQ individuals in the territory it controls.

Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, is known for enforcing strict Islamic law in the territories it controls, which includes harsh penalties for homosexuality. Hamas’s policies have led to persecution, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQ individuals in areas under its control.

In 2016, Mahmoud Ishtiwi, a leading commander in Hamas’s armed wing, was executed after allegations of homosexual activities.

According to world-renowned military historian and professor Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, Hamas’s “death cult” relies on “useful Western idiots” to support the Palestinian cause, which has “fused with the leftwing DEI industry.” In addition, he argues, pro-Palestinian protests and support for Hamas in the U.S. have alienated many Americans and will all but ensure a tough conservative president in 2024.