Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is in hot water. He has been suspended from the bench for stopping probate judges from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
How does Moore defend himself? By bashing a local Alabama drag queen, of course.
The thorn in Moore's side is Ambrosia Starling, one of his most vocal critics. Moore is shocked -- shocked! -- that someone like Starling (a "professed transvestite!") has been successful in condemning him publicly. He believes she is crazy -- certifiable! -- so how could anyone possibly listen to what she has to say? Moore utters the word "transvestite" with such disdain it is as if he were clutching pearls and gasping in horror.
Here is his argument against Starling:
We are in a serious time in our country. We're in a time when people who, just a few years ago, would have been ascribed a mental illness, a mental disorder. When I started in 2013, if that would have happened then, this person and the people around her would have been -- some of the people around her -- him -- would have been said to have a mental disorder, gender-identity disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of American Psychiatric Association for Mental Disorders.
Um ... there is some misinformation here. I am a drag queen, so let me see if I can clear it up.
Back in 2013, being a drag queen was not a mental illness. Not in 2013, not before 2013, not today. Never once have I been dragged off to a mental institution after lip-syncing I Will Survive.
A drag queen does not have a gender identity crisis. I am a gay man who enjoys entertaining in drag. That's not confusing, is it?
It is confusing to Roy Moore. If a man wants to wear a dress, his logic tells him, there must be something wrong with that man's head. The concept of drag is wildly confusing to Roy Moore, but this does not mean that gender identity is confusing to a drag queen. I know who I am, I know what I want, and I am not confused. 'Drag Queen' is not a mental disorder. There is no Drag Queen Syndrome, no Queenophrenia, no Dragomania.
And drag queens are not "transvestites." But I suppose explaining that would just confuse Moore more.
Ambrosia Starling appears to be a stable, sensible, sane individual. Poised and articulate [and fabulous!], Starling uses her drag to draw attention to the Justice's injustices. Drag, she says, is "the armor that I put on to go out to do battle for my community." She is the American version of Panti Bliss, the drag activist who so eloquently and tirelessly fought for marriage rights in Ireland -- and won! When people like Roy Moore want us to believe drag queens are disordered, these gals remind us that drag is strength, drag is courage, drag is tenacity. When you hold our community down, drag can be loud and effective in making change.
Mr. Moore is correct when he says that this is a serious time in our country. We are a nation that is seriously divided politically. We are in serious danger of damaging our international reputation. In such serious times, we need drag queens to make everything brighter and more gorgeous. Drag queen fabulousness cuts through all this seriousness.
Ambrosia says, "I am a drag queen. That means that I am an entertainer for the purpose of inspiring people when they don't feel like, you know, life is worth living and they are sitting in the corner of a bar somewhere and it is my job to go out there and put a smile on their face."
She is inspiring and she puts a smile on my face. I do not live near Alabama but, if I did, I would throw on some heels and high hair and stand in solidarity with sister Ambrosia. If you are in or near Alabama: please support this local drag queen! Roy Moore is an embarrassment, but Ambrosia is someone special -- and completely sane. She is Alabama's leading voice of reason.