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https://www.npr.org/2023/06/30/ [login to see] /bob-the-drag-queen-madonna-celebration-tour-rupaul-drag-race
On a Tuesday afternoon in New York City, Bob the Drag Queen surveys the bolts of colorful glittering fabric lining the walls at Spandex House, a fabric store in the Garment District.
It's an old haunt of his from when he was starting his career in drag back in 2009, inspired by the first season of the competitive reality show RuPaul's Drag Race.
Seven years later, Bob won Season 8 of the same show, and his career skyrocketed. He's made podcasts, TV shows, an EP, and amassed 2.8 million TikTok followers. He has been preparing to join Madonna on her "Celebration" tour, which has just been postponed after she was hospitalized with a bacterial infection.
But the star of Bob's career has risen in tandem with the popularity of drag across the American mainstream, and with it, a conservative pushback that has grown exponentially in recent years.
On a Tuesday afternoon in New York City, Bob the Drag Queen surveys the bolts of colorful glittering fabric lining the walls at Spandex House, a fabric store in the Garment District.
It's an old haunt of his from when he was starting his career in drag back in 2009, inspired by the first season of the competitive reality show RuPaul's Drag Race.
Seven years later, Bob won Season 8 of the same show, and his career skyrocketed. He's made podcasts, TV shows, an EP, and amassed 2.8 million TikTok followers. He has been preparing to join Madonna on her "Celebration" tour, which has just been postponed after she was hospitalized with a bacterial infection.
But the star of Bob's career has risen in tandem with the popularity of drag across the American mainstream, and with it, a conservative pushback that has grown exponentially in recent years.
An afternoon with Bob the Drag Queen
Posted from npr.orgPosted in these groups: 
LGBTQ+
New York City
LGBTQ+ New York City
Posted 10 mo ago
Responses: 1
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""I think that it's important for queer people in Nashville, especially young ones, or people who are afraid in general, to see that like it's OK to go forward, it's OK to not be afraid to be seen. I think there's a lot of laws that want us to hide or go back into the closet or just stop existing in public. For some people, the existence of queer people in public is offensive. And quite frankly, I find that offensive."
"People think there's some agenda with drag queens. The only thing on the drag agenda is brunch on Sundays. There's no scheme. There's no plan or plot to reach people's children or anything. I mean most drag queens don't even want to f***** be around kids," he laughs. "Like, I do a drag show at Barracuda not at Gymboree, you know what I mean?"
Bob The Drag Queen meets a fan, Meme West, at the Spandex House in New York.
With Madonna's tour now postponed, it's unclear when it will progress. But one thing is certain: tour or no tour, Bob will continue to entertain and bring his signature flair to a stage or screen near you."
...""I think that it's important for queer people in Nashville, especially young ones, or people who are afraid in general, to see that like it's OK to go forward, it's OK to not be afraid to be seen. I think there's a lot of laws that want us to hide or go back into the closet or just stop existing in public. For some people, the existence of queer people in public is offensive. And quite frankly, I find that offensive."
"People think there's some agenda with drag queens. The only thing on the drag agenda is brunch on Sundays. There's no scheme. There's no plan or plot to reach people's children or anything. I mean most drag queens don't even want to f***** be around kids," he laughs. "Like, I do a drag show at Barracuda not at Gymboree, you know what I mean?"
Bob The Drag Queen meets a fan, Meme West, at the Spandex House in New York.
With Madonna's tour now postponed, it's unclear when it will progress. But one thing is certain: tour or no tour, Bob will continue to entertain and bring his signature flair to a stage or screen near you."
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