A prominent anti-gun LGBTQ activist group will hold an anti-inaugural ball in protest of the incoming administration and its support of the National Rifle Association (NRA) on the same night as President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Gays Against Guns (GAG) is sponsoring The GAG Ball, at Cobalt in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, which will bring together queer legends like Kevin Aviance, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and more for a demonstration of resistance.
“Donald Trump was the NRA’s dream candidate,” Aaron Overman, member of Gays Against Guns DC chapter (GAG DC), told The Huffington Post. “He praised them so heavily during the campaign and he has a guns-everywhere agenda... We are taking back the concept of the Inaugural Ball from these guns-everywhere sickos and using it to promote GAG, to fight for sane gun laws in this country, and to make fun of Trump and the NRA because if anyone is deserving of being made fun of it’s these pathetic bullies.”
The GAG Ball will be preceded by a public demonstration alongside DisruptJ20 and other queer activists at McPherson Square at 6:30 p.m.
GAG is a queer anti-gun organization that formed in the days after the Pulse Nightclub Massacre that claimed the lives of 49 queer people ― mostly of color ― and allies in June 2016. In the months since, GAG has engaged in a number of protests of politicians who support the NRA, as well as demonstrations to raise awareness about gun violence in general.
There have been ― and will be ― a number of other queer, highly-visible protests occurring in conjunction with Friday’s inauguration, including a queer dance party that took place in front of Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s house Wednesday night (see video above).
“The GAG Ball” will be held at Cobalt in Washington, D.C. the night of Trump’s inauguration, Jan. 20. For more info, head here.