Drag Performers are Under Attack, Here’s How You Can Help this Pride

Pride month is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and its impact on the world. Linktree is built on self expression and is proud to support LGBTQIA+ creators and small businesses.

But still today in 2023, LGBTQIA+ people are under attack. Since the start of 2023, nearly 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress. Drag events in particular, have faced an uptick in threats and protests nationwide.

Drag performers are the heartbeat of the LGBTQIA+ community and they need our support now more than ever. We are asking all Linkers to join together to show the world that drag is not a crime.

We know that not everyone can make it to a drag show and tip their favorite performers in person, so Linktree is bridging that gap. To help drag performers get tipped and feel love from all around the world, you can tip your favorite drag performer directly on Linktree, via our tip jar. Simply head to your favorite performer’s Linktree, click the tip jar, and leave a tip through PayPal, Venmo or Square. It may not be as fun as throwing dollar bills at a drag show, but it can really make a difference in someone’s life.

“Self expression is the foundation of Linktree, and drag is one of the most beautiful forms of self expression,” said Linktree’s Chief Marketing Officer Monica Austin. “In a year where the drag community has been on the receiving end of so much hate and censorship, we are proud to stand with and celebrate performers everywhere. Drag is beautiful. Drag is not a crime.”

We’ve also partnered with Drag Story Hour – a nonprofit on a mission to celebrate reading through the art of drag – to support the community against censorship. Founded in 2015, Drag Story Hour gives kids glamorous, positive and unabashedly queer role models

Linkers can add the Pride support banner to raise awareness and funds for the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride. To kick off support, Linktree has donated $25,000 to Drag Story Hour. Learn how to turn on the support banner on your Linktree here.

“Drag is all about creativity and community, and reminds us that we all have the power to make the world a more fabulous place if we show up as our boldest and brightest selves,” said Drag Story Hour Board Member Lil Miss Hot Mess. “Celebrating play, imagination, and self-expression shouldn't be controversial. Our opponents want us to stay in our boxes and fear any kind of social change. In times when our communities are under attack, the answer is more drag! We need glitter and sparkle to remind ourselves that we not only deserve rights and justice, but queer and trans joy, too.”

All month Linktree is spotlighting LGBTQIA+ creators. We’re excited to partner with Peppermint, a Broadway performer and film actress, who you may recognize from season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She is the first ever ACLU Ambassador for Trans Justice and an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Linktree helps me communicate to my community what’s most important to me,” said Peppermint. “As a trans woman and drag performer, defending our rights from the recent legislative attacks on our community and maintaining the visibility and progress we’ve gained is at the top of that list. Linktree’s work in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, encouraging tipping to my fellow drag performers is a tangible example of their impact. Given the ridiculous wave of drag bans that threatened the financial livelihood of artists and performers, the tip jar feature has allowed me to feel the monetary impact of my work. I’m so excited that it’s now easier than ever to support performers outside of live events. We have to work together to keep our essential art form alive and thriving.”

For more resources on how you can support the LGBTQIA+ community during pride and beyond, you can visit the Pride Linktree.