Politics is hardly ever without controversy, but George Santos took the concept to new heights when he became the U.S. representative for New York’s 3rd congressional district in 2023.
As he is both 34 years old and openly gay, Santos catered to his constituents during his campaign with a variety of lies that painted him in a relatable light. Then, just weeks after winning the election, the truth emerged and it was learned that essentially everything he’d said, even the seemingly small stuff, had been false.
Santos did not work at Goldman Sachs or Citigroup as he claimed; he’d worked for Harbor City, an organization accused of running a Ponzi scheme by the Securities and Exchange Commission. He did not lose four employees to the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida; none of the 49 victims had worked for any of the companies Santos worked for, according to The New York Times. He was not a volleyball star at Baruch College as he claimed; he didn’t even go to Baruch College.
That GoFundMe account he set up with the alias Anthony Devolder under the guise of helping a poor homeless veteran raise money for his sick dog? Santos disappeared with the $3,000 and the dog, Sapphire, eventually died.
Those fraudulent crimes he committed in Brazil? The ones where he stole checkbooks and spent hundreds of dollars and evaded authorities? They’re all true and Santos even admitted to it.
But that’s not what this is about. This is about whether Santos, an openly gay republication — someone who supports Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill and stands by his party as it peddles the falsities that drag queens are “grooming” kids — is a drag queen. Because, yes, there’s photographic evidence.
Keep in mind, this is the same guy who lied on his mother’s grave, claiming “9/11 claimed my mother’s life” when, in fact, documents show his mother was in Brazil the day of the terrorist attack. So, it’s fair to say his rebuttal about not being a drag queen should be taken with a grain of salt.
George Santos denied ever being a drag queen, then changed his tune
Just a few short weeks after being sworn in as the U.S. representative for New York’s 3rd congressional district, a Brazilian drag queen named Eula Rochard posted on social media a photo of herself and George Santos dressed in drag from 2008. Freelance reporter Maria Kabas broke the story. In Rochard’s photo, Santos is identified as Kitara Ravache. Rochard confirmed the identity of Santos with NBC, but Santos immediately denied the allegations.
On Twitter, Santos called the notion “categorically false.” He repeatedly denied the claims as evidence slowly began to crawl out of the woodwork. Photos of Santos in drag began cropping up all over online, as well as videos identifying him as the person behind the drag. Still, he denied it.
Was it just a one-night gig or is George Santos actually a drag queen?
Well, to be a drag queen, one must be in active pursuit of the art of drag. Santos, a US representative, is too busy to do drag. Or at least he’s too busy lying about his past accomplishments to actually do drag. Nevertheless, Santos finally admitted to dressing up in drag when media outlets at the airport questioned him. But only just that. He still denied ever being a drag queen.
“I was not a drag queen in Brazil,” he said. “I was young and had fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life.”
Dressing up in drag once does not necessarily make someone a drag queen. He’s not wrong about that. However, like everything else, the truth was hidden underneath the lie. The festival Santos referred to happened in 2008, but videos obtained by the New York Post suggest he’d been doing drag as far back as 2005. It’s hard to believe you’re not a drag queen when you were doing it for three years.
Who’s to say whether or not Santos has a closet of wigs stashed away or a crate full of makeup shoved under his bed? That’s his business. The issue has never been whether or not he’s a drag queen. The issue has been that he repeatedly lied about it and hypocritically turned his back on his community by supporting anti-LGBTQIA+ rights with detrimental legislative bills like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill.
The hypocrisy — that’s the issue. Oh, and the lies.