The original organizer for the New York City Drag March defended the ā€œWe’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your Childrenā€ chant made during the event.

According to NBC News, Brian Griffin, who started the march in 1994, said the chant was ā€œall just words.ā€

ā€œIt’s all presented to fulfill their worst stereotypes of us,ā€ he added.

Griffin also revealed he has chanted crude things in the past during the marches, like, ā€œKill, kill, kill, we’re coming to kill the mayorā€ and made various sexual references. Additionally, attendees of the march sang ā€œGod is a lesbianā€ repeatedly.

Karla Jay, the first female chair of New York’s Gay Liberation Front, explained the purpose behind the controversial chant.

ā€œThe 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, ā€˜Go ahead, call me this; why do I care?ā€™ā€ she said. ā€œThe person is trying to destigmatize this and claim their own power.ā€

She noted, ā€œI grew up in the time where it was considered really bad to be called ā€˜gay’ or ā€˜lesbian’ or anything like that, and what we did is we reclaimed words.ā€

Advertisement

Jay also pointed fingers at the right-wing for blaming ā€œthe victims.ā€

ā€œThese are the words that they’ve used all our lives to manipulate and control us and we can now own them and see them for the falsehoods that they are,ā€ she continued.

In the article, NBC News referenced LGBT activists who claimed, ā€œThe ā€˜coming for your Children’ has been used for years at Pride events.ā€

However, Twitter denied those claims, adding a community note to NBC News’ tweet of the article.

ā€œThe news articles provides no evidence of the ā€˜we’re coming for your Children’ chant being done for years at pride nor does it quote specific individuals that make this claim. This is very irresponsible reporting,ā€ the note reads, via Fox News.