The Republican National Convention is being held from July 15 to 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the televised event has taken over bars and televisions nationwide. The actual day’s events — including panels, tours, receptions, and speeches — are held in multiple venues across the city of Milwaukee from 8am to 12am daily.
According to some Milwuakians, convention participants are carrying the event well into the night, celebrating at local bars and clubs after the official agenda concludes.
Unfortunately for Republicans, dozens of those downtown bars and clubs are not interested in their business. According to Dannie D on TikTok, many of those bars and clubs have decided to host drag shows every night to deter conservative clubgoers.
Dannie noted that while this tactic may work for a few Republicans, he thinks many would take pleasure in the shows on the down low. Commenters are pleasantly surprised at Milwaukee’s pettiness, many of them inspired by the sheer audacity and hilarity of a drag-centered mass rebellion. One commenter even noted that a bar put on a drag show directly across the street from one of the Republican National Convention event spaces. Checkmate.
A viewer even suggested that furry conventions — conventions for those in the furry community, a community whose members share an interest in anthropomorphic animals — are being held around the corner from the RNC. These efforts will, at the very least, deter older men who may be present at the RNC from preying on young women at local nightclubs, according to some commenters. Many people feel that it is a lovely way to celebrate local artists and art while simultaneously making their out-of-town guests slightly angry, or at the very least inconvenienced.
According to People, Wisconsin is one of several states in the U.S. with no anti-drag legislation. That doesn’t make their existence easy though. In response to anti-drag and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric taking place at the Republican National Convention, protestors have come from across the country to protest, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, following Trump’s assassination attempt, protest zones have remained quiet. It seems people are turning to art like drag shows to express their feelings instead of an outright march.
A few people have reported in the comment section that they don’t think there are more drag shows than usual, but regardless there seems to be enough to drive attention, and that’s all that matters. It’s also a great tourism tactic for the city of Milwaukee.
Whether you’re into clubs, drag shows, protests, conventions, or the far-right, there is something for everyone this week in Wisconsin.