Donald Trump to face mass drag queen protest on visit to London
US President Donald Trump could face the sight of thousands of drag queens when he arrives in London for an official visit this summer.
More than 7,000 people have said they are interested in attending a mass drag protest during his first official visit to the UK, slated for Friday July 13.
Alongside the drag queens, President Trump is expected to meet the real Queen, according to reports.
The planned rally will likely be one of many protests happening across the city, with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan calling on residents to show Trump London’s “liberal values.”
US President Donald Trump (L) chats with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (Getty)
Writing on Facebook, Manchester-based drag artists Cheddar Gorgeous, Violet Blonde, Jonny Banks, Liquorice Black and Anna Phylactic called for, “all drag kings, queens, queers and our allies to march against President Donald Trumps UK visit.”
They continued: “Due to the appalling way the Trump administration has regarded the rights and welfare of LGBTQI communities of the US, the idea of a Trump visit to the UK is unacceptable.
“Let’s get visible, stand with our sister’s, brothers and others in America, and show that we are a country that celebrates diversity.
“We will meet at a central location and join the main protest. Details of meeting location and times will be announced as we understand more about the itinerary of the visit and our fellow protester’s plans.”
Almost 1,000 people have listed themselves as attending the protest, while a further 6,700 say they are interested to attend.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Trump has rolled back a string of LGBT protections, including pursuing a ban on transgender people signing up to the Army.
His administration also plans to allow doctors to deny treatment to trans people.
Trump’s proposed rule would remove an Obama-era protection and would allow doctors, hospitals and health insurance companies to deny coverage or treatment based on gender identity.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (TfL)
London mayor Sadiq Khan said of the visit: “If he comes to London, President Trump will experience an open and diverse city that has always chosen unity over division and hope over fear.
“He will also no doubt see that Londoners hold their liberal values of freedom of speech very dear.”
President Trump was originally meant to visit London in February 2018 to open the new US Embassy.
However he pulled out at the last minute claiming that the embassy was in a disreputable area of London and was a “bad deal,” despite it being an expensive central London neighbourhood.
