Arts & Entertainment
11-year-old ‘drag kid’ slams conservative website for trying to humiliate him
Alex Jones bashed Desmond is Amazing for demonstrating for gun control
Desmond Napoles ‘Desmond is Amazing’ (Screenshot via YouTube)
Drag performer Desmond is Amazing, real name Desmond Napoles, slammed a conservative blog for shaming his passion.
The 11-year-old is a self-proclaimed “drag kid” who has appeared in Jinkx Monsoon’s music video “The Bacon Shake” and was honored with the Marsha P. Johnson Award during New York City Pride.
Desmond also participated in a demonstration for gun control with Gays Against Guns during New York Fashion Week.
Writer Alex Parker took issue with Desmond’s drag and activism and penned an article criticizing Desmond’s choices for the right-wing blog, Red State.
“That’s right — sometimes it isn’t enough to slap on some rouge, top yourself with a daffodil wig, and pull on a pleather polka-dotted sequined v-neck tapered blousy netted metallic backless cocktail dress; sometimes ya gotta rage against the 2nd Amendment,” the article reads.
Desmond took to Instagram to let Jones and other critics know that he isn’t ashamed.
“They meant to make me look like a fool and hurt and embarrass my family. They tried to make me look crazy for protesting against gun violence in schools with @changetheref and @gaysagainstgunsn,” Desmond writes.
“But really, they made me look even more AMAZING, even going so far as to emphasize that I’ve earned awards for my work in the LGBTQ+ community, that my career started in 2014 with @thejinkx, and that I created the term ‘drag kid.’ I mean, they ain’t lying! I’ve done ALL of those things and I’m grateful for the recognition,” he went on.
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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The second annual Frederick Pride Parade was held in the streets of downtown Frederick, Md. on Friday, June 26.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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