Due to misconceptions and misunderstandings spreading about what occurred at Pride in the Pines (June 15th, 2024), the Flagstaff Drag community would like to address some points of contention that arose from the events of last weekend.

The Flagstaff Drag community was not involved with the making of any death threats or fake Instagram accounts, and would like to apologize to any performers who had threats sent to them, we do not condone this behavior under any circumstances. The Flagstaff Drag community does not condone any antisemitism. To anyone who faced antisemitism or bullying, we extend our sincerest apologies. We do not condone this behavior under any circumstances. Please feel free to reach out to members of our community so we may deeper understand how we can support you.

To begin, we would like to discuss the unfolding of events that led to everything we now know; we will get into further detail about each singular issue after explaining how everything initially occurred. 48 hours prior to Pride in the Pines, Jay Blue (who was a volunteer on the Flagstaff Pride board and was also tasked to organize the Drag Events) sent a message to the group chat of performers scheduled to be a part of the Mother Road Stage Drag show. A summation of this message is as follows: Jay Blue was choosing “with grave disappointment, sadness, and apology” to resign from the Flagstaff Pride board and cut ties with the organization. His reasons were that the Pride board, without consulting members of the broader Flagstaff queer community, allowed a “celebrity guest with entirely political motivations” to speak at the event. Flagstaff Pride had told him they could not associate with anything political, while Jay Blue had openly expressed support for Palestine and recommended the Pride Board do the same. The guest was revealed to be Jill Biden, who supports the genocide in Palestine and is a political figure as her husband is the current President; the Bidens are also beginning their campaign for this next election. The decision to have Jill Biden at the event was not a Pride board decision, but the sole decision of the Pride President, Zane Jacobs.

Jay had been instructed to notify the drag performers to “arrive early for call times” which consequently was much earlier than the original call times as entertainers would need to “be searched by the secret service.” Anything deemed dangerous would be confiscated, and a thorough security check would be conducted for every person; this resulted in many of the drag entertainers feeling uncomfortable. Some performers worried their props and tools would be taken away, but most importantly, their mobility devices could be confiscated. This is a major accessibility issue that will be expanded upon.

Jay Blue was asked to "rearrange" the third show into a new time slot, which would result in a potential cut of the 15 performers scheduled to perform in that portion of the show. This could also potentially mean they would perform into the night while RuPaul’s Drag Race queens would be set to perform on the main stage around the same time. Jay Blue made us aware that Zane Jacobs would be taking over the Drag show organization. Jay Blue stated: “I understand why anyone might want to stay for the gig and I respect that, I also respect anyone who wants to drop out.” The claims of Jay Blue peer pressuring the remaining queens into withdrawing from Pride in the Pines are untrue. Every queen made their own decision to participate in the show or withdraw from it. After Jay sent his messages stating his reasons for stepping down and quitting the board, multiple members of the Flagstaff community shared their support for Jay; no one had made decisions to withdraw from the show until it was clear who the guest speaker would be. There was a suggestion in the chat (not from Jay Blue) that Jill Biden would be the guest after researching online that Jill Biden would be in Arizona that day. Jay stated there was possible validity to this suggestion but did not confirm or deny it. Due to this, many performers decided they could not support an event that allowed this newly scheduled political figure to speak, and decided to withdraw from Pride in the Pines. Some queens withdrew simply to support their fellow drag sister, Jay Blue. During the discussions in the group chat, there was a lot of disorganization that unfolded, including ideas from multiple people to start a protest. There was an open inquiry in the group chat questioning if performers were asked if they knew what and why they were protesting; members of the Flagstaff community said the following in exact words: “Personally there’s a lot of reasons I’m protesting but I’m primarily protesting having federal security at pride, pride is a protest and started as a protest, the fact you would have Federal Security at pride is disgusting” … “I am protesting the choice to platform the FLOTUS and wife of a genocidal maniac, in place of queer people and PoC who were already scheduled and hired to perform, and without input or consent from the board, community, or performers.” Many of the entertainers booked do not support Israel and therefore do not align with the scheduled appearance of Jill Biden or overall politics being presented at Pride in the Pines. This does not mean we in any way support Donald Trump. We are allowed to disagree with the president’s support of Israel, as we want freedom for the people of Palestine. Holding the Bidens accountable for an ongoing genocide was an important factor for many of the entertainers who decided to withdraw their entertainment. A major reason for protesting and withdrawing occurred after Zane Jacobs made threats to sue Jay Blue for loss of income. A direct quote from Jay is as follows: “Zane threatened to sue me on the phone the day of my resignation...and said I would be financially responsible for everything.” Zane said, “You know you'll have to pay for all the loss…Jill isn't saying anything political... Why would you do this to me two days before the festival?…I don't know what you're doing to these people to make them quit." Jay proceeds to say, “He interrupted me many times to yell ‘you need to cease’ before hanging up.” This threat proved to Dragstaff that our Pride Board has a lack of respect for Flagstaff Drag Queens. The reason for the specified loss of income was never stated.

We will address the High Altitudes show, which was an alternative drag show scheduled to happen the day before Pride. Many of the drag performers cast decided to stand in solidarity with the Dragstaff community in protesting Pride and consequently withdrew from the show. However, there were members of the cast that were cut from the show without prior notice by the Pride Board; these performers only found out they were no longer part of the cast when the replacement cast was announced on the day of the show.

With no more shows associated with Pride, Gwendolin invited people who had withdrawn to perform in a 1-3pm pop-up show entitled “Drag Me to Heritage Square” at Heritage Square (in conjunction with Downtown Flagstaff and the Flagstaff Queer Collective). It was members of the Dragstaff community who reached out to be in this show, as well as a couple of queens from Phoenix (two dropped from this event due to transportation issues, and Mia Inez Adams did not make it to the performance on time, arriving after the show ended). Consequently, it was strictly members of the Dragstaff community who witnessed and participated in the main portion of the protest. The drag performers were not permitted to state why they were protesting Pride; however, it was understood that the event existed in protest of Pride in the Pines. During the event, hosts Jay and Gwendolin discussed the genocide occurring in Palestine, in support of Palestine. “Drag Me to Heritage Square” was free and accessible, and many Flagstaff citizens stated they were grateful to be able to celebrate pride for these reasons specifically.

After performing, a protest and march to Pride in the Pines were planned while Jill Biden was scheduled to speak. Members of the audience were encouraged to meet outside of Heritage Square to discuss the march. Around 40 people gathered for this march, alongside Dragstaff queens, where a safe and peaceful protest began. The protestors respected the rules for protest, which were: stay on the sidewalk, remain peaceful, and do not enter the park. Any protesters who were found in the park were swiftly removed from the event, not making it past the entrance. Joey Jay, on their livestream, stated, “if you want to protest, protest. Go to Pride. Bring your sign. Scream at the top of your lungs during Jill Biden’s speech. Make her hear you and feel your uncomfort and disappointment. Make it palpable…” It wasn’t the protestors’ choice to be omitted from Pride, as anyone found protesting within the event was immediately removed. This violates Pride's 501C3 status, as they must provide an equal platform to opposing political sides if they are to platform anyone politically. Everyone outside protesting was consistently reminded by other protesters how important it is to remain calm and peaceful. What is being said about the “lack of protesting” or “invalid reasons to protest” online has not been accurate. In the context of what happened that day, we would like to expand on our exact reasons for protesting to make it clear why people were upset.

We believe that it is important that queer people vote for Joe Biden this year, as Donald Trump and Project 2025 are dangerous to every minority group existing across America. That being said, it is also important that Joe Biden be held accountable for the support his administration is lending to Israel. Turning a blind eye to Joe Biden assisting in a genocide is not justifyable, even in election season. It is valid to not support this issue.

The scheduled appearance of Jill Biden was kept a secret from the entertainers and the broader Flagstaff queer community. Zane Jacobs was approached by Jill Biden's team, and they asked if he could allow her to speak at Pride in the Pines. Zane accepted this offer, but was told by federal security that he was not permitted to inform anyone about Jill Biden's appearance at this event until 72 hours beforehand. Zane made a decision on behalf of the entire Flagstaff queer community on his own, a decision many of our community members would have said no to.

The appearance of Jill also consequently shifted the Pride in the Pines schedule immensely. Attendees were reported to have a delayed entrance up to an hour (opening for Pride in the Pines was moved from 12 p.m. to 1p.m.). Musicians’ sets were cut in half or completely rescheduled for a later time, while entertainers’ sets were delayed. All acts were cut beginning 75 minutes before Jill's speech, presumably to secure the premises. The 2 p.m. drag show also would've been largely cut due to this. That is 2/3 of the entire cast set to perform. Vendors were not permitted entry until 1 p.m. in order for the Secret Service to secure the area. That means the first show (starting at 12 p.m.) would've been delayed or entirely cut as well. It is clear Jill Biden’s presence was going to cost a major portion of the entire Mother Road stage, regardless if the drag entertainers had withdrawn or not.

The following is a statement from iiwaa, a pop artist who was scheduled for a 45 minute set the day of the event: “They started my set late - according to production staff they let people into the festival grounds late due to secret service staff needing to check people. My set thus got pushed back 15 minutes and was ultimately reduced to a 30 minute window because I had to clear the stage at an exact time to make way for Dr. Biden’s team preparing for her speech. I was disappointed not to deliver to my fans in attendance what I had advertised to them. There was a severe lapse in communication prior to the event as I frequently asked for a set time/call time as well as promotional materials to promote my performance there. I sent my stage plot/tech needs to Zane weeks in advance only to have production ask me for it 48 hours before the event. Clearly the organization didn’t prioritize or value my contribution as a performer, the information I gave was not passed along or treated with any urgency.”

Here is a statement from Kathryn (DJ Quick Kay), who withdrew their role as an MC in the Pride parade, “A leader should never assume. As Pride BEGS to be a celebration, it remains a cry for liberation. We have such a resilient and beautiful queer community, shining out of the rough. Imagine what will grow with greater devotion to communication, honesty & transparency. Justice is greater than Power.”

A further consequence of Jill Biden’s appearance was the amount of security that was present for the day. Pride’s decision to allow federal security at Pride strips away queer people’s safe space to protest and be themselves. We were warned that security would be searching our person and belongings, resulting in anything they deem threatening to Jill Biden to be confiscated; this could mean disability aides. A statement from Flagstaff Pride during the allotted festival time reads as follows, “NO CHAIRS, UMBRELLAS, OR WAGONS. (cont. in caption on their instagram) … We apologize for the inconvenience; this was a last-minute change out of our control. Thank you for your understanding. Chairs will be allowed after our VIP guest leaves the grounds.” This day-of policy leads to accessibility issues. Pets were also not allowed to enter the park, and there was no specification on whether or not this included service animals.  Taking away access to umbrellas, animals, chairs, wagons, and anything with wheels causes an extreme lack of accessibility for a variety of groups, not just chronically ill and disabled attendees. Parents with children can no longer bring umbrellas to keep children cool, or wagons to pull them in, so they can also enjoy themselves. Not giving access to ways people keep themselves cool is a danger to even the most able bodied person. Some people need mobility aids that have wheels in order to keep themselves safe and enjoy pride. People with physical and mental disabilities alike may have symptoms that worsen in the heat or bright light. Those who have to bring large bags of supplies like medications, pain management, sensory aids, or a variety of mobility aids benefit from bringing wagons in order to pull along supplies rather than carrying heavy bags. Anything that could be considered a weapon would be taken. They did not specify if that would include mobility aids made of metal, or if the restriction on umbrellas and chairs would also extend to them, which can be very dangerous due to the heat. There have also been a few studies that prove the prevalence of ADHD, autism, and hypermobility conditions within the queer community. By taking away these objects of aid, you are heavily restricting access to Pride for a large group of queer people. This is a dangerous situation for everyone involved that could be avoided by not having “guests” that would disrupt the entirety of the day.

        There has been repeated disrespect that the Pride board has demonstrated towards the drag community for some time now; we noted that multiple live streams made about this situation omitted or did not know this fact. With the threats of legal action made to Jay Blue, and the continuous disrespect for not listening to Jay's voice, there were further comments made by the Pride board at last year's Pride. The photographer Jay hired for the event was “too focused on the side-show drag.” There was also a considerable lack of marketing and promotion for the Mother Road show on Pride's pages. The only time the show was posted on Flagstaff Pride’s Instagram account was in the middle of a bunch of other photos just days before the event. The continued disrespect to Flagstaff Drag is not something tolerated by Dragstaff.

If you are concerned about people's income being at risk, then understand that Zane and the board were the decision-makers putting this at risk; cutting paid, contracted performers (both local and from Phoenix), the day before their scheduled performance without any notice. If professionalism and protecting livelihoods are a concern for the greater Arizona drag community, then they should focus their concern towards organizations like Flagstaff Pride that treat performers without respect and without concern for their time, trust, and livelihoods. This being said, we understand the need to have sources of income, and the Dragstaff community understands and respects any performers who decided to stay with pride and perform for this reason.

We truly appreciate your support, and if there are further questions, feel free to ask the Flagstaff Drag Community directly.

*The timelines presented were provided by attendees, vendors, drag queens, and those part of Pride in the Pines who wish to remain anonymous.