Politics

Instagram “Rupublicans” drag Texas governor with billboard near state capitol

The sign decries Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on drag shows as a court case on the law's legal standing starts.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a ceremony where he signed SB7, a bill to address inappropriate teacher-student relationships, at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Austin.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a ceremony where he signed SB7, a bill to address inappropriate teacher-student relationships, at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Austin. Photo: (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The team behind the popular Instagram account Rupublicans is taking their show on the road after raising thousands of dollars to put up a big billboard near the Texas state capitol. The sign decries Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) ban on drag shows as a court case on the law’s legal standing starts.

The parody account posts AI-generated images of anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans dressed in drag. The name is a nod to RuPaul.

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The husbands raised money through GoFundMe and blew past their $10,000 goal. The leftover funds will be donated to LGBTQ+ organizations like Equality Texas and the Transgender Education Network of Texas.

They posted a mockup of the billboard along on Instagram with a plea for donations. It reads, “Mind your wigs, not our gigs, Greg!”

“Drag artists have brought me joy, laughter, helped heal old wounds, and given me permission to love myself—and I’m not the only one,” the account holder wrote in a recent Instagram story thanking fans for following them.

“Drag isn’t just lip-syncing for our lives; it’s art, it’s heart, and oh honey, it’s protest,” they continued. “To those in power serving up false narratives like an overcooked wig at a drag brunch, listen up: we’re here, we’re queer, and we ain’t going anywhere…”

“So sit down down, quit your nonsense, grab some popcorn, and get ready to be dazzled. Better yet, why not throw on a dress and join the revolution? Everybody say love!”

As political satire, the posts are hilarious. But Texas’s recent attacks on drag and transgender people are serious.

Senate Bill 12 was introduced and passed by Republicans in the Texas legislature earlier this year and signed into law with great fanfare by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in the middle of Pride month, along with two other anti-LGBTQ+ bills: one aimed at trans minors and an LGBTQ+ book ban addressing content the governor called “trash.”

S.B. 12 makes it a criminal offense to perform in drag in the presence of a minor, with performers and venues alike held liable for violations. Both would face $10,000 fines for participating in or hosting “sexually explicit” performances featuring nudity or a “prurient interest in sex.” 

The bill’s sweeping language defines “sexually oriented” as any performance where “a male performer [is] exhibiting as a female, or a female performer exhibiting as a male, who uses clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers and who sings, lip syncs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience.”

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