Drag* March Berlin 2026: Fighting the Far Right with Queerfulness

On the occasion of the first German Drag* March, we spoke to co‑initiator Cornelia about why drags have become symbolic targets of queerphobic hate, how “bridging” can bring queer communities closer together, and how some of the criticism of the Drag* March took her by surprise. Hi Cornelia, the Drag* March is a new idea in Germany and will celebrate its premiere on July 24 under the slogan “Attitude is hot: Blessing not Hate”. Can you briefly explain what that means? The Drag* March has a long

tradition in the US and has been taking place since 1994. It originally emerged as a reaction to the exclusion of queens and leather folks from New York Pride – similar to how people keep trying to push the fetish scene out of Pride events in Germany. In light of the current right‑wing backlash against drags, we are taking to the streets visibly as part of Berlin Pride, whose motto this year is “Attitude is hot.” For me, the most important thing is that we come together, and what could be better

than a “blessing against hate”? The blessing will, of course, be given by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and I very much hope it will be gloriously un‑Christian. Drags are the loud, funny markers of our communities. Because of their visibility, they’re also the ones who get attacked the most, yet they’re not really protected. In LGBTIQ+ you’ll find all kinds of sexualities and genders listed, but the letter D is missing: drags. A King* cannot go to the police and report that he was

attacked as a man, or as a lesbian, but only as a drag. The hate against drag is an interesting mix of queerphobia, misogyny and the suppression of visibility. It’s the same old logic of “Before we put you in prison, at least make yourselves invisible” – like what was said to Jewish Germans in darker times. At the same time, it’s kind of funny to imagine adding a D to LGBTIQ+: is drag an identity or not? I’m currently reading Leslie Feinberg’s classic Transgender Warriors , which talks about

transm...