“One intrepid drag queen is attempting to change the world by impersonating Republicans,” opens the story in a Yahoo PRIDE section article titled, Drag queen’s hilarious wild-eyed Erika Kirk parody goes viral, raises cash to fight MAGA. Another LGBTQ site, Pink News: Drag queen’s viral Erika Kirk performance raises funds for civil rights organisation ACLU.
The first article describes the drag queen’s multiple videos mocking Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow and truly courageous conservative advocate, thusly: “Her campy yet somehow still spot-on impersonations of Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, garnered more than 7 million views combined.”
The drag queen, who normally goes by Lauren Banall, decided to call himself Erika Qwerk for this performance. A Facebook post, with 111k likes and nearly 4k comments, details the seemingly universal reaction from the LGBTQ community: “In the videos, Banall closely recreates Kirk’s look with a red blazer, black pants, styled hair, and detailed contact lenses. The impersonation blends accuracy with exaggerated humor, leaving many viewers doing a double take.”
The performer chose to dedicate one video, which received 4.5 million views, to Erika quoting Luke 23:34 at her husband’s memorial. Dressed in a red blazer, exaggerated eye make-up, and a blonde wig, along with white contacts, the drag queen lip-synced Erika’s own voice saying these words, to laughter and applause from the audience.
In another, he stands, mock-crying, holding a sparkler as dramatic music swells to an outburst of audience howling and then, again using Erika’s recorded voice, lip syncs, “My husband Charlie,” as he poses in exaggerated mourning to further audience hysterical laughter.
One Facebook comment mused, “Nailed it! A coffin on stage would top it off,” another, “The money peeking out of her shirt is diabolical.” On the Instagram page, “Miss Erika Qwerk, I love your outfit but I see you’re missing your diamond encrusted cross from Zales! Was it perhaps burning a hole in your chest again?”
In response, Banall said, “Thank you so much for all of this incredible response to my Erika Kirk number. It’s truly overwhelming,” He went on to ask fans to donate to his GoFundMe to support the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund. His message? “We’ve re-ignited our Fund Rager page benefitting the ACLU so we can block the BS this next administration is doing in the courts! No kings, no grifters, no ICE!” The campaign has currently raised only $3,400.
Pink News provided context to the story by adding, “Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was known for his contentious views on gun control and the trans community, and was discussing the debunked conservative conspiracy around trans shooters in the moments leading up to his death.”
Drag has long been an outlet for gay men to poke fun at larger-than-life female figures, usually entertainers, and indulge in exaggerated stereotypes of women on stage. Mocking Republicans is nothing new, as Ann Coulter drag queens have been around for years. The difference this time is simply the cruelty.
Hiding behind the idea of satire, justified by political ideology and moral certainty, the LGBTQ community has quickly moved from a self-professed movement of love and humor to one of open, celebrated hatred and dehumanization. As the above LGBTQ publication insisted on pointing out, Charlie Kirk was inherently bad because he promoted views they find objectionable. Why would they hesitate to mock his grieving widow?
SEE ALSO: The Weight Erika Kirk Carries
Once the Left decides a person is “hateful” or a bigot, they lose all humanity. That individual becomes dangerous, evil, and ultimately worthy of the most extreme vitriol imaginable. The comments on social media are filled with indignant dismissals of rare pleas for compassion and calls for shaming the behavior. The horde mocks anyone who pauses to consider the true cruelty of these performances by repeating the phrase, “Cry more.”
Humor is irreverent, and exaggeration of real people is nothing new. What has happened here is a total rejection of humanity in favor of a preferred parallel narrative. As has been falsely and relentlessly perpetuated, huge swaths of people online seem convinced Erika Kirk has been faking her grief during public appearances to honor her husband’s legacy and carry forth his vision, one she helped build alongside him.
She’s no longer a mother of very young children who witnessed her husband assassinated by accused-terrorist Tyler Robinson, who allegedly belonged to the LGBTQ community and who was motivated by LGBTQ political lies. Charlie wasn’t a young father championing the belief that everyone can engage in civil, respectful debate on any topic; he was an “Anti-LGBTQ+ MAGA Influencer,” as LGBTQ Nation headlined their report of his murder.
This drag performer isn’t just mimicking Erika’s mannerisms or exaggerating her style; he is mocking her suffering for the roaring approval and enjoyment of millions who truly believe she deserves the humiliation. Why? Because she was married to a man they irrationally hated and couldn’t accurately tell you why. She represents an idea of conservative women they feel entitled to degrade and dehumanize into stereotypes.
Worse, they crave the idea of outrage and pain from their chosen targets. Comment after comment reflects the same sentiment of eagerly anticipating “MAGA” outrage. This goes beyond outrage, though. It isn’t merely about witnessing LGBTQ activists engage in abhorrent behavior or a drag queen using comedy as an excuse to torture and dehumanize a woman who lost more than most could imagine. It reflects a moment in our culture where the online mob flows into real life and real people are filmed enthusiastically cheering for the humiliation of a completely innocent and truly brave victim of violent bigotry.
These aren’t online trolls leaving anonymous rage bait comments. We are seeing crowds of people, united under a shared ideological identity, a community, applaud and laugh at the victim of a terrorist attack by a man who was allegedly one of their own. It is deeply disturbing and disheartening more than outrageous because it is very real, very tangible hatred, and they feel absolutely morally justified in expressing and sharing it.
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