As the sun sets in Memphis, Tennessee, Keleigh Klarke pins up her curls, puts on lip gloss, and gets ready to perform. Growing up in rural Texas, Keleigh – real name Kelly McDaniel, 46 – was always interested in makeup, fashion, and beauty pageants but didn’t have many outlets to express his interests. 'The night I went to my first drag show, everything changed,' he told Metro. 'After beginning to perform in 2001, I’ve worked at seven different clubs in Memphis.'
Drag Under Threat in the South
Drag is a staple of nightlife in almost every American city, but in the national conversation about LGBTQ rights, voices from the South are often excluded. Headlines about crackdowns on Pride events and increasing conservatism drown out the daily work of the queer community in the region. Earlier this year, several southern states rebranded Pride Month: Tennessee declared June 'Nuclear Family Month', Arkansas called it 'Fidelity Month', and Alabama went with 'Strong Families Month'.
On his first day back in office, Trump declared there were only two genders, undid multiple orders advancing LGBTQ equality, banned transgender people from the military and from participating in women’s sports. Healthcare restrictions have made gender-affirming care difficult to access. In the South, LGBTQ people face higher discrimination and bear the brunt of these policies – but are too quickly written off for where they’re from.
Southern Fried Queer Pride: Building Community
Taylor Alxndr co-founded Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) in 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. Initially a three-day festival in June to platform southern LGBTQ artists and grassroots movements, it quickly grew into a year-round organisation. Taylor told Metro: 'Our festival is still the only Pride festival that happens in June here in Atlanta. During our second or third festival, we had a large number of people coming all the way from North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas, saying, “we don’t have this in our state”. We quickly realised that this meant a lot to people, to have a more intentional southern queer and trans community event.'
Atlanta is a historically Black city central to Civil Rights, but Taylor notes there is still segregation and a lack of inclusion of Black and Brown people in the narrative. During Trump’s first term, Taylor said there was a large amount of energy of resistance; people felt 'invigorated' to fight back. Now, during his second administration, members of the community are 'exhausted'. 'Every five seconds, it’s just a reminder that the world is wild and exhausting and so difficult to imagine getting better. People are taking the second term way harder than the first,' she said.
Fighting Misconceptions Amidst Uncertainty
After retaking office in January 2025, Trump vowed to ban flying Pride flags at US embassies and wiped mentions of trans communities from government websites. This has snowballed into muting queer voices and taking away the joy of Pride. 'Outside of corporations not wanting to sponsor things, a lot of LGBTQ organisations are laying low, being quiet, not wanting to be too loud and proud because they’re afraid of the visibility that entails, and the backlash or harm that might come their way,' Taylor told Metro.
Operating a queer organisation in the South comes with many misconceptions. Taylor explained: 'But Black and Brown folks, the LGBTQ folks, the progressive folks are consistently pushing us into the future — and so many other people and movements across the country borrow their grassroots organising methods and ideas from people in the South. We’re constantly fighting against this narrative that silences all the beautiful, vibrant work that we have here in the South, just because people view us in a certain way.'
Fighting to Perform: Brigitte Bandit's Activism
Brigitte Bandit, a 34-year-old drag queen and activist from Austin, Texas, became involved in Texas politics in 2023 when she appeared in full drag during a Texas legislative session as several anti-LGBTQ bills were being passed. In May that year, she wore a white gown with the names of children killed at Robb Elementary School and Allen Mall, with the back of her dress reading: 'Defend our kids against gun violence. Restrict guns, not drag.' The bill that would have banned drag was not passed – a major win for the LGBTQ community.
Brigitte tells Metro: 'Thinking back on that win… it was much easier times than we’re in now. Things have escalated exponentially since we won that lawsuit. It’s kind of sad to look back on, because it was a happy moment that now just feels bittersweet.' After her success, she began LegiSLAYtion and Liberation in 2025 – a weekly community event that breaks down political news for the LGBTQ community in Texas. 'It’s a way for the community to gather, educate, and empower each other. Now, LegiSLAYtion and Liberation has taken on its own journey,' she added.
Brigitte says drag poses a threat to systems of power: 'Queer people, queer visibility, queer representation — it all goes against the Christian nationalist, white supremacist values and agenda that the right has. Whenever you see queer people existing outside of those structures, it threatens their power. Right now, we’re seeing all these funding cuts to LGBTQ research, grants, and any kind of entities that support LGBTQ people. We also see people shying away from sharing their support for LGBTQ people. At the same time, we’re seeing a lot more grassroots organising and resistance.'
Even in deep red portions of the South, there are daily acts of resistance. Brigitte said: 'I’ve gone to speak at universities where they’ve banned drag, and they said, “No photos” — they even paid me with a gift card, so there’s no financial record. There are little ways people are resisting here that you probably won’t hear about or be able to share publicly.'
Tennessee's Anti-Drag Legislation
In 2023, drag in Tennessee was thrust into the national spotlight when the state passed anti-drag legislation. After the bill was passed, Kelly, based in Memphis, noticed fear among his fellow queens but vowed to 'never go quietly' and continue being himself. 'My mother would always say, “If you want to pick a fight, that’s fine, but you better pack a punch”. That’s the same way I felt about the drag ban legislation,' he tells Metro, laughing. 'You are not going to stop me from doing what I am doing, which is completely in line with all acceptable laws. It’s not crude, it’s not vulgar, it’s not x-rated, or immoral. These bans are a way to use the glitter, sequins, and feathers to distract your constituents from the actual problems in Tennessee. Queer resistance is alive and well and thriving in the South!'
On Friday evenings, as the sun sets, Kelly, Taylor and Brigitte put on their makeup and prepare to perform, to sit with their communities and to continue living as themselves, even while working against a system which wants to stop them. 'For those who live in the Southern states, it’s twice as hard,' Kelly adds. 'But all you have to do is pin your wig on, strap on your pumps, add some glitter and gloss, and stay hydrated.'
