Kiki Ball-Change as Melania Trump (Image: Instagram/kikiballchange)
A MAGA parody drag show at Bushwick, Brooklyn drew an audience of more than 1,000 people, with the queens and kings raising more than $25,000 for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Organisers framed the night as political pushback through performance in an Instagram post promoting the show.
Titled “I Want You for Turning Point US Gay NYC”, the charity night featured 10 drag performers satirising prominent MAGA figures including Erika Kirk, Kristi Noem and Rudy Giuliani, alongside gogo boys in US-flag outfits.
Lead organiser Kiki Ball-Change, who portrayed Melania Trump, told LGBTQ Nation: “Drag has always been political. We’re making it clear what’s at stake, [but] at the same time, the show wasn’t a downer,” adding: “Ultimately, it’s about reminding people that the things we’re joking about have real-world consequences, and that queer people, especially, don’t have the luxury of separating politics from our everyday lives.”
Inside the Bushwick fundraiser
The event took place on Thursday, 16 April. Its opening staging included a number titled “We Are Charlie Kirk”, with performer Lauren Banall reviving a Erika Kirk impersonation (known as Erika Qwerk) that had previously gone viral on TikTok.
Banall has previously faced backlash for the character work, and she was criticised online again after the live performance, including hostile comments on Instagram.
Footage from the night later circulated in an Instagram reel about the event.
Drag, satire and the backlash
Drag has a long history as queer political satire and community organising, from bar-room parody to protest performance. 3 Dollar Bill is widely known as a major New York queer nightlife venue that hosts drag, parties, and community events.
Ball-Change also pushed back at comparisons between drag and blackface, saying that view “misunderstands what drag actually is”, adding: “Drag isn’t limited to men performing femininity,” describing an art form that includes drag kings and nonbinary performers.
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