Charlize Theron intimidates me a little bit. The fact that she’s a badass action star contributes to that feeling. But I also think that she doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Recently she had some choice words for a particular group of fools: the lawmakers around this country who are banning drag shows. She appeared on the Drag Isn’t Dangerous Telethon to voice her support for drag queens and to let anti-drag lawmakers know that they’re not going to get away with this:

“We love you queens. We’re in your corner and we’ve got you, and I will f— anybody up who’s trying to f— with anything with you guys,” said Theron, 47, as seen in a video tweeted by fan account Charlize Theron Daily.
“There are so many things that are hurting and, really, killing our kids, and we all know what I’m talking about right now and it ain’t no drag queen — because if you’ve ever seen a drag queen lip-sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only makes you love more, it makes you a better person,” Theron said.
Theron went on to ask viewers to “please support all the great organizations that are out there helping all of this nonsense go away like it should. All of these incredibly stupid policies. Bye! No more room for hate, only love, and love equals drag queens!”

[From People]

In the video clip I found from the telethon, Charlize’s energy is infectious. You can tell she genuinely loves drag. And I agree with her that drag queens make people happier. As an art form, drag has everything: it’s fun, it’s funny, it’s subversive, it’s over the top. It requires both skill and charisma. But at its core, drag is just incredibly life affirming. You can’t leave a drag show feeling sad–at least I never have.

Charlize has a long history of advocating for the queer community–in 2009 she said she wouldn’t get married until gay marriage was legal in the US. I’m glad to see her continue to raise awareness for LGBTQ+ rights. It’s infuriating to see how much progress has been reversed in recent years. This is personal for Charlize, too. She is a mother to two daughters and her eldest is transgender. Even though her daughters are growing up with great privilege, there are threats even celebrity and wealth can’t protect against. I’m sure she knows that. It must be so scary to be raising an LGBTQ+ kid these days. And when she says that there are “so many things” that are hurting our kids, we all know what she’s referencing. There are several legitimate dangers to kids in America–drag queen story hour isn’t one of them.

photos credit: Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF Foto/Avalon