Qommittee is an advocacy group that focuses on supporting the drag artist industry. Qommittee works to keep drag venues open, expand the network of drag artists into rural communities, reduce threats of violence against drag performers, and oppose legislation which negatively impacts LGBT interests. It was founded in June 2024 and has a sister organization, Qommittee for Qreative Freedom, which is a fiscally sponsored project of the Movement Strategy Center. ¹

Qommittee created petitions and guides and has held rallies to achieve its goals. ² It has worked with an advocacy group to create a petition supporting the drag industry and has created a guide for drag artists to protect themselves legally called the “Drag Defense Handbook.” ³

National Petition

Along with MoveOn, a left-of-center advocacy group, Qommittee created a national petition to oppose legislation that opposes ideologies of the LGBT community, ends drag events, or restricts access to venues LGBT rallies. The petition classifies drag events as a form of art, and states, “When governments can ban one form of art, no creative expression is safe.” ⁴ It calls the rejection of LGBT ideologies a “manufactured culture war” and contends that LGBT rallies and drag shows are forms of protected speech. It also claims that “politicians keep pushing these discriminatory laws while our communities face escalating attacks.” ⁴ The petition urges government officials to protect LGBT ideologies or focus on other issues. ⁴

Drag Defense Handbook

The “Drag Defense Handbook” is a guide for drag performers to handle threats, violence, bans, and what legal actions can be taken against those things. It also briefly discusses the achievements and goals of Qommittee. The handbook was created in conjunction with drag artists, legal experts, and supporters of LGBT causes. Contributors included Luna Isaiah Floyd from Equal Justice Works, individuals from CenterLink, and Meg Phelan from Equality Legal Action Fund’s Legal Counsel. ³

Kennedy Center

Drag Ban

In 2025, President Donald Trump restructured the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, which is owned by the federal government, taking the role as chairman of the board. Pursuant to his restructuring, President Trump announced restrictions on drag performances at the Kennedy Center, especially those targeted toward children. ⁵

Qommittee started a petition to oppose bans on drag shows at the Kennedy Center, calling President Trump’s restructuring an “unprecedented Kennedy Center takeover.” Qommittee appealed to Kennedy Center donors stating, “When donors fund censorship […] they tell marginalized communities their stories don’t deserve to be told.” ⁶ It asked donors to suspend funding the Kennedy Center until the restrictions were lifted and to redirect money directly to drag artists who were banned or censored. ⁶

“Les Miserables” Protest

Qommittee sent four drag artists, Tara Hoot, Ricky Rose, Vagenesis, and Mari Con Carne, to the opening night of “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center after President Trump became chairman of the board. The artists went to protest drag show bans at the center, which were put in place by President Trump. Qommittee considered it a successful showing because staff at the Kennedy Center thanked the performers for attending the event and because of the mixed reaction from the crowd when Trump showed up to the event. Drag artist Mari Con Carne was proud of the effort stating, “You can ban us from your stages, but you can’t erase our presence from the venue.” ⁷

1. “About Us.” Qommittee. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.qommittee.org/about-us-1.
2. “Stop Attacks on Pride, LGBTQ+ People, and Drag: Protect Free Expression Nationwide!” MoveOn. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/stop-attacks-on-drag-and-pride-protect-free-expression-nationwide.
3. “The Drag Defense Handbook.” Qommittee. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.qommittee.org/news/the-drag-defense-handbook.
4. “Sponsor Join the Petition Against Drag Bans.” Qommittee. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.qommittee.org/drag-performer-sign-up-petition-against-bans.
5.  Brown, Jeffrey, and Anne Azzi Davenport. “Kennedy Center Faces a Crossroads as It’s Pulled into Partisan Politics.” PBS, April 4, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/kennedy-center-faces-a-crossroads-as-its-pulled-into-partisan-politics.
6. “Sign the Petition: Tell Kennedy Center Donors: Stop Funding Censorship and Support Diverse Artists.” Qommittee. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.qommittee.org/news/sign-the-petition-stop-the-political-takeover-of-the-kennedy-center-protect-free-expression.
7. “Kennedy Center: Snatching the Narrative, Showing Community Power.” Qommittee. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.qommittee.org/news/kennedy-center-snatching-the-narrative.