(NewsGlobal.com)- To witness the signing of the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which legalizes same-sex marriage, President Joe Biden invited a drag performer for kids to the White House on Tuesday.
Marti Cummings, a drag queen activist, announced the invitation on Twitter. Despite keeping his account private, the Libs of TikTok account shared Cummings’ status.
Cummings said he never thought he’d be invited to the White House as a non-binary drag performer. “I appreciate the invitation to this historic bill signing by President and Dr. Biden. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel,” Cummings wrote on Twitter while posting a screenshot of the White House invitation.
Marti Gould Cummings describes himself as a “drag performer, television personality, and political figure” on his website.
According to his website, Cummings has been a regular fixture in the nightlife world throughout his nearly ten-year drag career, performing up to six regular shows weekly. He regularly tours the world with Atlantis Cruises and has sold out concerts at 54 Below, Lincoln Center’s Big Apple Circus, and Dixon Place.
A week prior, Cummings shared a photo of himself in drag with kids at a Drag Queen Story Hour, referring to the occasion as a “family-friendly event.”
“Contrary to what conservatives claim, this family friend event is a way to spread happiness, teach acceptance, and demonstrate love,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Keep spreading hate because I’m going to keep spreading joy. Children simply want to hear their favorite stories.”
Cummings gave a speech at the Stonewall Inn following the shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, where he expressed his optimism for a time when Drag Queen Story Hour would be accepted without fear of backlash.
“We are experiencing both unprecedented and historical eras. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in historic or unheard-of times,” he declared.
He said he wants to live in a time when we can visit a queer space without being concerned that a shooter will appear and take their lives. He wants to live in a time when drag performers can read to children in libraries without fear of the Proud Boys showing up to protest.
Framing the protestors as “Proud Boys” is disingenuous.
