Organizer of NYC Drag March Stands by ‘We’re Coming for Your Children’ Chant
The original organizer for the New York City Drag March defended the “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children” chant made during the event. According to NBC News , Brian Griffin, who started the march in…
The original organizer for the New York City Drag March defended the “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your Children” chant made during the event.
According to NBC News, Brian Griffin, who started the march in 1994, said the chant was “all just words.”
“It’s all presented to fulfill their worst stereotypes of us,” he added.
Griffin also revealed he has chanted crude things in the past during the marches, like, “Kill, kill, kill, we’re coming to kill the mayor” and made various sexual references. Additionally, attendees of the march sang “God is a lesbian” repeatedly.
Karla Jay, the first female chair of New York’s Gay Liberation Front, explained the purpose behind the controversial chant.
“The person who said this isn’t a march isn’t the person who came up with this idea — the person in the march is saying, ‘Go ahead, call me this; why do I care?’” she said. “The person is trying to destigmatize this and claim their own power.”
She noted, “I grew up in the time where it was considered really bad to be called ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ or anything like that, and what we did is we reclaimed words.”