Right- and leftwing protesters, some heavily armed with semi-automatic rifles, faced off outside a “drag brunch” at a restaurant in Roanoke, Texas, video showed.
The standoff on Sunday was filmed by a Dallas-based investigative reporter, whose footage spread online, and came amid rising tensions in US society, polls showing majorities of Americans believe political violence is becoming more likely.
At the state level, Republican governments have passed anti-LGBTQ+ laws, particularly in education. At the national level, the supreme court justice Clarence Thomas has suggested the rights to same-sex marriage could be overturned, following the removal of the constitutional right to abortion.
As the Guardian reported in July, drag queens are increasingly reporting rightwing harassment.
In Arizona, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for governor, Kari Lake, recently tweeted: “They kicked God out of schools and welcomed the Drag Queens. They took down our Flag and replaced it with a rainbow … let’s bring back the basics: God, Guns and Glory.”
In Texas, leftwing activists who stood outside the drag brunch carried semi-automatic rifles.
The brunch was held at Anderson Distillery & Grill. Before the event, the restaurant owner, Jay Anderson, wrote on Facebook: “It was never my intention to host an event that would result in controversy, hate and divisiveness. It is my intention to welcome people from ALL walks of life.”
“… The live entertainment … will be similar to a variety show with professional drag artists lip-synching, dancing and performing comedy routines. The show will be hosted by my son, Bailey (aka Trisha Delish), who will ensure the show remains clean.
“No foul language. No sexual content. No erotic behavior. Performers will be fully clothed. Music will not contain explicit lyrics.”
Steven Monacelli, the journalist who filmed at the event, reported that it sold out.
The Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, a leftwing group named for the 19th-century anti-slavery fighter executed shortly before the civil war, and which says it is “not a militia”, said it organised the armed guard outside the restaurant.
Masked leftwing protesters carrying rifles were confronted by people opposed to the event. One opponent told Monacelli: “I’m here to support people that don’t indoctrinate and groom little eight-year-old kids.”
An organiser of the rightwing counter-protest, Kelly Neidert, recently said people who participate in LGBTQ+ pride events should be “round[ed] up”. Her Twitter account is suspended.
Left- and rightwing activists engaged in what Monacelli called “heated exchanges”. He also reported the presence of a member of the Proud Boys far-right group and photographed a rightwing protester carrying a baseball bat wrapped in razor wire.
Monacelli wrote: “Some may say that it’s hypocritical to note the armed counter-protesters at the drag brunch when there are armed antifascists. But one group is here with weapons because they are seeking to defend a group that feels threatened, while the other group is here for different reasons.”
Sgt Ryan Otero of the Roanoke police told the Dallas Morning News he did not know of any arrests.
“We were there to try to keep the peace and basically keep these two sides apart,” he said.
