Pink Jonathan's Pride Statement
Statement on Religion and the Increase of Hate for LGBTQ+ Persons and Communities in Media and Canadian Society
By Jonathan Gibson Davis
Sunday, 02 JUNE 2024
As a child, I was raised to be a religious person. My father is an Anglican clergyman, and I still sympathize with people of strong faith.
But I am no longer a child; I am old enough now to notice a change in the society around me, and I am very disturbed by it.
When I was a child, no one ever said anything bad to me about drag queens.
In fact, my father always loved Dame Edna and would watch whenever she came on TV.
We lived in a small town and never got any big-time shows, but I’m sure that if we had lived in a big city and Dame Edna was coming to town, my family would’ve gone to see her.
My parents always loved "Are You Being Served," the UK sitcom with John Inman, who was a famous drag performer and LGBTQ+ icon. They still watch it on DVD every night at bedtime.
I was a child in the 80s and a teenager in the 90s, and I thought drag queens were just a normal part of our culture.
They were not even discussed much except for loving them on TV. But now, the media is full of politicians and false clergymen saying that drag queens are bad and that the LGBTQ+ community is a problem, and I just can’t be silent any longer!
I love LGBTQ+ persons and drag queens very much, not only for their brave activism and historical role in the arts but for the lovely people who they are and who I personally know them to be individually.
I love LGBTQ+ persons and drag queens very much because I was raised to love them by religious conservative parents who must love LGBTQ+ persons too if their DVD collection counts for proof.
I will not allow disingenuous politicians and scam influencers to get away with using religious rhetoric to stir up anti-LGBTQ+ hate. That is not the religion I used to know. So if you come at me with any religious talk, it better be about God creating and loving all people and rainbows.
My priest dad loves John Inman and wears a kilt for special occasions. In every picture I’ve ever seen of Jesus, my dude was wearing a full-on gown. I love LGBTQ+ persons and drag queens.
J.G. Davis
Kanata, Ontario
Well said! In the ‘90s a drag show wasn’t a big thing in the U.S. south, then relocating to Nottingham UK, as you mentioned the tv is hilarious and filled with drag characters, and other oddballs. Leave it to America to have a cult launch a global conservative movement of hate to end the world.
Jonathan, I just found your posts today and I’m crazy about you! I am a neighbor to your not very far south (Maine). I’m inspired by everything I’ve seen so far and I don’t understand why you don’t have 1000’s of followers. I became absolutely delighted by drag queens when I first watched The Adventures of Priscilla, (also deeply saddened by the hate towards them) and recently a drag queen was the presenter for my cousin’s retirement from her university professorship. She was lovely and hysterical! Thank you for sharing your experience of growing up watching Dame Edna. I don’t get why they are afraid of drag queens and LGBTQ folks. They may have met trans people but didn’t know it. How stupid to be so hateful.