The United States has been a contentious place for LGBTQIA+ Americans lately, with anti-trans and fear-mongering legislation piling up in Washington D.C. Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo is one of many democratic voices speaking up in opposition to these far-right agendas, and he has some very specific words to share.
“We can’t sit back and watch our trans brothers and sisters and favorite drag artists be attacked by right-wing conservatives,” said Ruffalo in a post to his Mastodon account. “We must use our civic duty and vote these bigots out of office.”
Ruffalo’s post was inspired by a call to action from RuPaul’s Drag Race host, RuPaul Charles, on Instagram. “As RuPaul stated, ‘A social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote.’ So, we have our marching orders… Check out the organizations below for more ways to support.”
Among the list of organizations Ruffalo mentions are Tennessee Equality Project, Equality Texas, Equality Florida, TransLash, GLAAD, and the ACLU. This comes following Tennessee’s anti-drag ban that passed last week. The ban prohibits drag performances (labeled “adult cabaret performances”) from occurring within the presence of children or taking place within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, and places of worship. Tennessee has become the first state to ban public drag shows.
In conjunction with the anti-drag ban, Tennessee passed Senate Bill 001, anti-trans legislation banning healthcare providers “from performing on a minor or administering to a minor a medical procedure if the performance or administration of the procedure is for the purpose of enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”
RuPaul urged his 4.4 million followers on Instagram to stay strong in the face of this adversity, and remind them that nothing in America is as powerful as their vote.
“Drag Queens are the marines of the queer movement,” said RuPaul. “Don’t get it twisted and don’t be distracted. Register to vote so we can get these stunt queens out of office and put some smart people with real solutions into government. And by the way, a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote.”
RuPaul encouraged his followers to visit the ACLU’s website where supporters can join RuPaul’s Drag Race, MTV, and World of Wonder in offering a cash donation to help the ACLU fight the good fight.