Drag queen speaks out after anti-drag tirade at Hawaii hotel caught on video
Drag queen speaks out after anti-drag tirade at Hawaii hotel caught on video
"This is misogyny," a hotel guest can be heard saying in the video.
ByKiara Alfonseca
June 29, 2024, 6:02 AM
Drag queen Marina Del Rey is speaking out after a video went viral of a woman yelling at her and other drag performers in a hotel lobby during Pride month.
"'It went from a point of view to an attack," said Del Rey in an interview with ABC News.
Del Rey said several drag queens were taking part in a promotional video for the ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach on June 23. They were dressed up as staff members, acting out different roles in the hotels' operations when Del Rey said a woman approached them.
Del Rey said the woman began recording them and yelling that she was against drag and that she did not want her children to see them. Del Rey was shaken by the incident.
Drag performer Marina Del Rey said she was harassed by a hotel patron while filming a promotional video for a hotel in Honolulu.Courtesy of Marina Del Rey
"This is misogyny," she can be heard saying in the video, which was reviewed by ABC News. "I am not going to have my children come down from the 30th floor and see what's happening here."
She questioned what would happen if her son saw the drag queens and thought "that he can put on makeup and put on fancy clothing and high heels." She continued to make claims about the drag queens that have been criticized as offensive.
Del Rey said it was unusual to be confronted over drag in an "aggressive" manner because of the deep-rooted "mahu" community -- a term encapsulating the gender and queer spectrum, but originally refers to the third gender in Polynesian culture.
Del Rey said "mahu" is intrinsic to the local culture, and that "it has always been a part of our lineage, our existence, and our society here in Polynesia."
The woman, Beth Bourne, said she was later escorted off the premises by several police officers and was given a no trespassing citation. After demanding a refund, she was also refunded for her stay at the hotel. She told ABC News that she stands by what she said and that what she did was not harassment.
"If you see something that doesn't seem right and isn't safe, you should say something," she told ABC News.
She instead claims that the drag queens were harassing her because of the way they were dressed.
"I did not think drag queens should be in a space that's being used by children at the hotel lobby," said Bourne, who is also chair of the Yolo County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative political organization. She said she was not speaking on behalf of the organization at the time. "I was a paying customer, and I didn't believe that we should have this. To me, it's an adult entertainment that's very sexual."
“Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach upholds a zero-tolerance policy for any discriminatory behavior; it’s the antithesis of our values of aloha and hospitality. June is PRIDE month, an annual celebration dedicated to equality, cultural diversity, history, and the resilience of every community and society around the world,” the hotel said in a statement to ABC News, signed by Kelly Sanders, president of Highgate Hawaii, the parent company of Alohilani Resort.
Del Rey said they don't expect everyone to agree with drag performers, but "there's a real difference when [an opinion] is served aggressively, loudly and with intent to affect you in that way," they said.
Del Rey acknowledged that for some drag queens, instances of hate and aggression are much more commonplace.
In recent years, the U.S. has seen a growing number of bills aimed at restricting drag performances -- however, several have been blocked from enforcement due to concerns related to the First Amendment. Drag events have also been the targets of bomb and death threats nationwide.
Drag performer Marina Del Rey hopes people spend less of their energy on hate and focus on taking care of their communities following an incident with a hotel patron.Courtesy of Marina Del Rey
They say the video wasn't posted to shame Bourne for her opinion, but instead to warn the local LGBTQ community "that this isn't something that just happens elsewhere because today, it happened here today in the hotel lobby, against the backdrop of blue sky, daytime, and tourists parading through the lobby, just pulling their suitcases as this is going on."
The drag queens have since received support from around the country in light of the incident, including Hawaii Gov. Josh Green.
“The video was upsetting, no question. I am proud of the performers from Hawai‘i’s LGBTQIA+ community who maintained their dignity and integrity in the face of such a hostile attack,” said Green in a statement. “This type of behavior is unacceptable. It is not aloha and we will not tolerate it from anyone."
A drag advocacy group, Qommittee, also expressed support for the artists.
"Let's be clear about this, drag artists may have to deal with this type of harassment almost any time they leave the house," the statement to ABC News read. "In this instance, the resort, the police, the governor took responsibility for their roles by clearly and unequivocally making clear that queer people have the right to live and work without this type of unprovoked harassment."
Bourne's employer, the University of California, Davis, condemned Bourne's statements and stood in support of the LGBTQ community.
"While the employee’s comments are protected by the First Amendment, they do not reflect the values of respect and belonging that form the foundation of our campus community," the university said in a statement.
Bourne denounced the criticism, arguing that "women in particular aren't able to speak freely."
"This was an incident where I was a paying customer, wanting to share my free speech with what I saw as being degrading and inappropriate behavior by adult men in a setting where I would be with my children," Bourne said.