(PM.) On Monday, Twitter user That Gay Jedi revealed that Star Wars Celebration, the official convention for Star Wars fans with tickets available for children ages 6 and up, will be hosting a panel titled “Star Wars is a DRAG!”
That Gay Jedi tweeted, “I am humbled, grateful, and over the forest moons to announce that my @SW_Celebration panel w/ @pencilscratchin and @dsigurani titled, ‘Star Wars is a DRAG! – Exploring Star Wars through the Art of Drag’ has been OFFICIALLY APPROVED! We can’t wait to share this with you all!”
I am humbled, grateful, and over the forest moons to announce that my @SW_Celebration panel w/ @pencilscratchin and @dsigurani titled, “Star Wars is a DRAG! –
Exploring Star Wars through the Art of Drag” has been OFFICIALLY APPROVED! 😭✨ We can’t wait to share this with you all! pic.twitter.com/05eifgWGIn— That Gay Jedi 🏳️🌈 (@akathatgayjedi) January 30, 2023
That Gay Jedi tweeted out the official panel description with the tweet, which read, “The long and rich history of drag has graced the world with entertainment, culture, political action, and so much more. It is no wonder, then, that today the art form has reached such a cultural significance that the truths and concepts of drag performance permeate countless aspects of our daily lives… including Star Wars!”
“Some of Star Wars’ very best characters embody various core principles of drag- whether it’s Din Darin’s drag as personal expression and self-discovery, Asajj Ventress* drag as Queer Rebellion, or Padmé Amidala’s drag as self-empowerment. The relevance of drag even spills out of the pages and screens of Star Wars and flows through the fandom itself through hobbies like cosplay!” That Gay Jedi continued.
A few users commented on the drag panel and noted that Star Wars Celebration is, according to their website, for fans of all ages and that the panel did not include an age restriction.
Popular YouTuber Mr. H Reviews said on Tuesday, “Star Wars Celebration will have a panel about drag shows,” and later added, “It’s just wholly inappropriate, Star Wars is for children.”
Mr. H Reviews notes that the presentation may not be as inappropriate as some other recent drag events where children were present but said, “the vast wealth that we have from these events show them as being incredibly inappropriate.”
He then noted the recent Christmas drag show in Austin, Texas which featured explicit sex simulations in front of children while using classic Christmas iconography.
“Disney has approved a Star Wars drag panel. Okay, and this show this convention is for all ages,” said Melanie Mac in her own YouTube response.
That Gay Jedi took to YouTube to respond in a video titled “let’s talk about it.”
“I basically just don’t want to let people get away with putting my name in their mouth and as a queer person I am not going to be quiet about it,” That Gay Jedi said.
That Gay Jedi then addressed those who say, “it’s a sexualized thing or it’s grooming or it’s like an overtly political topic. Um, no, if you read with your eyeballs what the actual panel description says it says that ‘Some of Star Wars’ very best characters embody various core principles of drag.'”
