Dallas church hosts offsite drag show with performer joking 'I will kill' crowd member if he voted for Trump
The drag performer made 'jokes' about fighting Republicans and sacrificing Trump supporters
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Texas church known for its LGBTQ activism hosted a drag show Sunday where one of the performers repeatedly made "jokes" about fighting Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, and quipped "I will kill [him]" poking fun at an audience member who voted for Trump.
The "Cathedral of Hope" in Dallas hosted a worship service titled "Celebrating the Art of Drag," in which the congregation "bless[ed] and affirm[ed] those who use drag as an art form and affirm[ed] their transgender siblings made in the image of God."
"In an act of defiance and in response to the numerous bills introduced into the Texas Legislature attacking drag performers and transgender people, Cathedral of Hope will host our second ‘Celebrating the Art of Drag Sunday,’" the church's website reads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Cathedral of Hope hosted its second annual "Celebrating the Art of Drag" on Sunday. (iStock)
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Rev. Brooke Dooley, associate pastor for youth and young adults at Friends Congregational Church in College Station and youth director for the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ, who is also known as "Drag King" Brock Bottom, served as guest preacher.
Following the service, there was a "Drag Brunch" fundraiser, which included "entertainment, delicious food, and unforgettable performances."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Drag is like any other performance and visual art form: the audience for drag can be comprised of children and families," the website reads. "We want our children to be safe and supported. Drag, as seen in the forms of library story hours, theater, music and even church worship services, do just that."
The Texas Family Project, which posted videos of the brunch event on X, captured a moment where a drag performer, not affiliated with the church, jokingly talked about killing an audience member if they voted for Trump.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If any of y'all voted for Trump, please don't tell us," the drag performer said. "Or do and... do y'all sacrifice? Could we start?"
The drag artist then asked a crowd member if "he voted for Trump," after the person said no, the performer followed up with, "Okay, 'cause I will kill [the audience member]."
The drag performer then made a joke that he went to Austin with some other drag queens to "fist fight Greg Abbott," but said the governor, who is a paraplegic and uses a wheelchair, "wouldn't stand up and fight me." The performer said that the easiest thing they could do with the money they raised is take away wheelchair ramps.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In a world where Christianity has been associated with intolerance, exclusion and hate, the mission of Cathedral of Hope (CoH), is to proclaim Christ through faith, hope and love," the Cathedral of Hope's website reads. "We are community of many races, ethnic backgrounds, religious experiences, ages, sexual orientations and gender identities."
In another video captured by the Texas Family Project, alleged members of the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" and the Lonestar Royal Court, including an adult dressed in a purple animal costume with bondage gear, were invited to the altar as the audience applauded.
The Cathedral of Hope is part of the "United Church of Christ," which is known for its progressive views and political activism.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The church celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility in 2024 when it fell on the same day as Easter Sunday.
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A section on the Cathedral of Hope's website details two advocacy groups within the church, one about race titled "Hope For All Colors" and the so-called Transgender Advocacy Group.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Cathedral of Hope has two advocacy groups: one about race titled "Hope For All Colors" and its so-called Transgender Advocacy Group. (Getty Images)
"We choose to live firmly into the United Church of Christ’s vision statement of ‘United in Christ’s love, a just world for all,’" the website reads. "In pursuit of those goals we currently have two Advocacy Groups that work towards diversity, equity,, inclusion, and justice all the while ensuring that we proclaim Christ through faith, hope, and love. If working towards a more just world is something you want to explore, check out these Advocacy Groups."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Cathedral of Hope, the United Church of Christ and the Texas Family Project for comment. After an earlier version of this article was published, a representative from the Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ reached out to Fox News stating, "Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ does not condone any kind of violence and understands that these comments, [] not made as part of our worship service, were said ‘tongue in cheek.’"
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Editor's note: A previous version of this piece attributed quotes to guest preacher Rev. Dooley that were spoken by another drag performer, not affiliated with the church. This piece has been updated to clarify that Dooley did not perform at the drag brunch, and did not make any of the comments attributed to the drag performer at the drag brunch.