On Wednesday night, four local drag performers attended the first night of the Kennedy Center’s season in full drag — while President Donald Trump, an outspoken critic of drag, sat mere feet away. 

Three queens — Tara Hoot, Vagenesis, and Mari Con Carne — joined drag king Ricky Rosé to represent Qommittee, a volunteer network uniting drag artists to support and defend each other amid growing conservative attacks. They all sat down with the Washington Blade to discuss the event.

The drag performers were there to see the opening performance of “Les Misérables” since Trump’s takeover of the historically non-partisan Kennedy Center. The story shows the power of love, compassion, and redemption in the face of social injustice, poverty, and oppression, set in late 19th century France. 

Dressed in full drag, the group walked into the theater together, fully aware they could be punished for doing so.

“It was a little scary walking in because we don’t know what we’re going to walk into, but it was really helpful to be able to walk in with friends,” said drag queen Vagenesis. “The strongest response we received was from the staff who worked there. They were so excited and grateful to see us there. Over and over and over again, we heard ‘Thank you so much for being here,’ ‘Thank you for coming,’ from the Kennedy Center staff.”

The staff weren’t the only ones who seemed happy at the act of defiance. 

“We walked in together so we would have an opportunity to get a response,” said Tara Hoot, who has performed at the Kennedy Center in full drag before. “It was all applause, cheers, and whistles, and remarkably it was half empty. I think that was season ticket holders kind of making their message in a different way.”

Despite the love from the audience and staff, Mari Con Carne said she couldn’t help feeling unsettled when Trump walked in.

“I felt two things — disgust and frustration,” Carne said. “Obviously, I don’t align with anything the man has to say or has to do. And the frustration came because I wanted to do more than just sit there. I wanted to walk up to him and speak my truth  — and speak for the voices that were being hurt by his actions right now.”

They weren’t the only ones who felt this way according to Vagenesis:

“Somebody shouted ‘Fuck Trump’ from the rafters. I’d like to think that our being there encouraged people to want to express themselves.”

The group showing up in drag and expressing themselves was, they all agreed, an act of defiance. 

“Drag has always been a protest, and it always will be a sort of resistance,” Carne said, after pointing out her intersectional identity as “queer, brown, Mexican immigrant” makes her existence that much more powerful as a statement. “My identity, my art, my existence — to be a protest.”

Hoot, who is known for her drag story times, explained that protesting can look different than the traditional holding up signs and marching for some. 

“Sometimes protesting is just us taking up space as drag artists,” Hoot added. “I felt like being true to who you are —  it was an opportunity to live the message.”

And that message, Ricky Rosé pointed out, was ingrained with the institution of the Kennedy Center and art itself — it couldn’t be taken away, regardless of executive orders and drag bans

“The Kennedy Center was founded more than 50 years ago as a place meant to celebrate the arts in its truest, extraordinary form,” said Ricky Rosé. “President Kennedy himself even argued that culture has a great practical value in an age of conflict. He was quoted saying, ‘the encouragement of art is political in the most profound sense, not as a weapon in the struggle, but as an instrument of understanding the futility of struggle’ and I believe that is the basis of what the Kennedy Center was founded on, and should continue. And drag fits perfectly within it.”

All four drag performers told the Washington Blade — independently of one another — that they don’t think Trump truly understood the musical he was watching.

“I don’t think the president understands any kind of plot that’s laid out in front of him,” Vagenesis said. “I’m interested to see what he thinks about “Les Mis,” a play about revolution against an oppressive regime. I get the feeling that he identifies with the the rebellion side of it, instead of the oppressor. I just feel like he doesn’t get it. I feel it goes right over his head.”

“Les Misérables” is running at the Kennedy Center until July 13.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California was forcibly removed from a federal building in Los Angeles after attempting to ask questions of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference on immigration Thursday

The city has been rattled in recent days as protestors objecting to the Trump-Vance administration’s immigration crackdowns clashed with law enforcement and then the president deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marines, which was seen as a dramatic escalation.

According to a video shared by his office, the senator, who serves as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, introduced himself and said, I have questions for the secretary.” After he was pushed out of the room, officers with FBI-identifying vests told Padilla to put his hands behind his back and handcuffed him.

“Senator Padilla is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform Congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California,” reads a statement from his office.

“He was in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem’s press conference,” the statement continued. “He tried to ask the secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information.”

Democrats were furious, with many releasing strong statements online condemning the actions of law enforcement officers, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D), and the state’s other U.S. senator, Adam Schiff (D).

Human Rights Campaign Chief of Staff Jay Brown also issued a statement: “A sitting U.S. senator should be allowed to ask a Cabinet secretary a question at a press conference — in his own state, on an issue affecting his constituents — without being violently thrown to the floor and handcuffed. Everyone who cares about our country must condemn this undemocratic act. Full stop.”

LGBTQ+ communities have long been targets of predatory tobacco marketing which can fuel chronic stress and contributes to disproportionately high rates of tobacco use. Now, community-led, research-backed initiatives are helping LGBTQ+ youth and young adults break free from nicotine addiction.

Through on-the-ground initiatives, strategic partnerships, and field-leading quitting resources, Truth Initiative is supporting LGBTQ+ communities in living nicotine-free. As the nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all, Truth Initiative is pairing grassroots engagement with cutting-edge cessation solutions through its Pride + Progress coalition. Aimed at helping communities achieve freedom from nicotine addiction, Pride + Progress is part of a larger initiative called the Culture + Cessation Collective, which also encompasses support for Black and Latino communities.

LGBTQ+ youth and young adult tobacco use is significantly higher than that of their cisgender and heterosexual peers — a disparity that fuels higher rates of disease and premature death. Lesbian, gay and bisexual adults smoke cigarettes at rates significantly higher than straight adults and were nearly twice as likely to use e-cigarettes. Transgender and gender nonconforming adults are also about 2X to 3X more likely to report tobacco use compared to cisgender adults. 

Years of targeted marketing by the tobacco industry dating back to the 90s, when tactics included advertising in the gay press and hosting LGBTQ+ events, is one reason for these disproportionate rates of tobacco use. One tobacco company even launched “Project SCUM,” a campaign aimed at gay men and unhoused individuals. Today, tobacco companies are leveraging social media to advertise their products, with LGBTQ+ individuals reporting more tobacco-related content in their feeds than their straight peers. 

But it’s not just marketing. According to a recent Truth Initiative study published in the American Journal of Public Health, LGBTQ+ youth and young adults who live in states with more LGBTQ+ protections and fewer discriminatory laws report lower use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ individuals report poor mental health where harmful legislation exists, and research shows that stress related to homophobia and transphobia increases e-cigarette use among LGBTQ+ youth. Past studies have linked poor mental health to higher tobacco use and higher levels of discrimination to higher prevalence of concurrent use of different tobacco products. This research underscores the need for new ways to better support the mental and physical well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals.

The Need for Collective Action

Today, more than ever, finding ways to lower rates of tobacco use in the LGBTQ+ community is a public health mandate the U.S. can’t afford to ignore. 

By collaborating with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, mental health professionals, and cessation experts, Pride + Progress ensures that quitting is an affirming, stigma-free journey. Recognizing the impact that unique stressors, discrimination, and targeted marketing have had on nicotine use in LGBTQ+ communities, the coalition is fostering an inclusive space for healing and resilience. 

Community support is essential, but so is access to effective tools. EX Program is a free and comprehensive digital program that supports anyone looking to quit smoking, vaping, nicotine pouches or any other type of tobacco – no matter where they are in their quit journey. Developed by Truth Initiative with Mayo Clinic, EX Program is backed by multiple clinical trials and can increase the odds of quitting by up to 40%. EX Program includes the most established online quit community, customized quit plans, interactive guides and tools, and advice and tips delivered via text message. Anyone can enroll by texting LIVEPROUD to 88709.  

At WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., Truth Initiative is highlighting EX Program as part of its ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ health. By meeting people where they are and providing evidence-based resources, the organization is helping people achieve freedom from nicotine addiction.