WINDHAM, Maine — With the town of Windham’s first Pride event just days away, drag queens are canceling a planned performance over safety concerns.
Chartreuse Money, a drag queen, said that last Thursday a man at a Portland bar relayed a threat to her life if she went to the Windham Pride celebration, which is scheduled for this Sunday.
"I said, 'If I attend, would my life be in danger?' And he said, 'Yes,'" Chartreuse explained.
Chartreuse said she went to local and federal law enforcement. Police investigated and told her the threat made was not credible.
The hate against the drag queens planning to perform in Windham extended, however, into the online sphere. Comments on Facebook pages related to the Pride celebration use disparaging language against members of the LGBTQ community, with one commenter calling drag queens "mentally ill men painted like garish ghouls."
Money decided to leave the event, fearing for her safety. Others followed suit. The performance was canceled, leaving the Windham celebration without drag.
For organizer Kate Turpen, this setback will not dim plans for the event meant as an expression of love and acceptance.
"I would argue that our event is not tampered down at all. In fact, I think that my committee has doubled down," Turpen said.
Turpen also said the Windham Police Department told her they are adding officers to cover the event.
Her enthusiasm for Sunday is matched by a display of courage from one drag performer, Letta the Queen, who said outside of a RuPaul-themed event in Portland on Friday that she would be attending Sunday’s Windham event in full drag.
"I’m willing to stand up, [to] be there, [to] show up for my community," Letta said. "It's definitely scary. It's definitely nerve-wracking."
The threats and online hate towards the event and its participants are also concerning leaders in Windham.
Town councilor Jarrod Maxfield called the comments online "disturbing," and added that Windham is a community "accepting of everybody."
The Windham Pride celebration will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday.