Drag queen Vanity von Glow blames the ‘far left’ for damaging her career after appearing at ‘far right’ rally
(Sky News / YouTube)
A drag queen who was heavily criticised for appearing at a “far right propaganda” rally has hit out at the far-left, claiming they want her to be unemployed and homeless.
The London drag act, real name Thom Glow, performed at the ‘Day of Freedom’ protest on Sunday (May 6) where she was introduced by Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the leader of the English Defence League.
Many other speakers at the rally were prominent ‘heroes’ of the far-right, including InfoWars pundit Milo Yiannopoulos, Gavin McInnes of the ‘Proud Boys’ movement, and Carl Benjamin – who is known on YouTube as ‘Sargon of Akkad.’
Although Glow had stated she would not be doing any television appearances in her original statement, the drag queen appeared on Sky News on Friday to defend her actions.
Glow stated on the programme that she performed at the rally in the name of free speech and stated that free speech is not a politically left or right issue.
(Sky News / YouTube)
The drag queen then said that while some prominent far right activists had insulted her with terms such as “degenerate,” the far left had been “just as bad” in some ways.
Glow said: “They’re not just calling me a degenerate, they’re also calling me a fascist for having associated myself with the event.
“The problem is the far left don’t just go for calling you names, their party trick at the moment is to try and go for your source of income.
“They’ve been making sure my shows are cancelled, they want to see me unemployed, possibly they want to see me homeless.”
She continued: “It’s quite an aggressive tactic simply for disagreeing with my motives for attending an event.”
The drag queen then said she does not endorse any of the views held by many of the far right attendees of the event.
“I’m not a fan of hate speech,” Glow said.
Glow with Milo Yiannopoulos
The drag queen has faced criticism from the LGBT community in the wake of the performance, and several gay clubs have threatened to cut ties in protest.
London cabaret bar Her Upstairs announced that it had cancelled a performance by Glow, condemning the event she appeared at as “far right propaganda masquerading as the promotion of freedom of speech.”
The bar added: “Primary endorsers and organisers stand for fundamental values that directly contradict what we believe in, and we can not ignore this fact.
“Whilst like everyone she has the right to freedom of speech, her alignment with such an event calls into question her motives, and her ethics as part of the performers with whom we work.”
The venue added: “As it stands she will no longer be booked at Her Upstairs.”
(@AlsoPurple / Twitter)
In a lengthy public statement, Glow said: “Many of you have reached out with concerns that I shared a platform with controversial figures Tommy Robinson and Milo Yiannopolous.
“For me the ability to disagree civilly, to ‘differ well’ if you will, is one of the building blocks of every meaningful relationship in my life.
“Across a wide array of the beautiful and diverse human beings I call my friends I look for ways not just to connect over shared values, but over a joint desire to understand one another better – especially when we disagree. Freedom of speech is important to me because speaking our ideas out loud is kind of how we think. It’s how we separate the good notions from the bad ones.
“As with all great things the price is that sometimes we express useless ideas. Sometimes we offend even our own principles when trying to work out what’s right. Speaking freely is how I’m working out who I am.”
She defended the line-up by describing ‘Sargon of Akkad,’ who was recently banned from Twitter for “participating in targeted abuse,” as a “left-leaning libertarian.”
The drag performer described ‘Proud Boys’ founder Gavin McInnes as “a total gentleman backstage,” although McInnes has previously described transgender people as “gender n***ers” and “stupid lunatics,” claimed that “sexless, depressed, old, chubby dykes control the political narrative,” and insisted that closeted gay men “tend to be sociopaths.”
The event was also attended by members of the Democratic Football Lads Alliance, a group that has faced condemnation for holding “Islamophobic” demos in Birmingham.
Glow added: “I accepted the request not because I couldn’t wait to stand in a lineup with people whose politics I supported, but because I felt I would be a hypocrite to only champion free speech when it suits my own ideological ends.”
Watch Vanity von Glow’s appearance on Sky News below
