#DragIsNotACrime is trending "HOT" right now!!

A bill that passed in the Tennessee state legislature which restricts "adult cabaret performances" in public or in the presence of children, and bans them from occurring within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, or places of worship will take effect on July 1, 2023.  In response to this intolerance and bigotry the hashtag #DragIsNotACrime is being shared all over social media on all the different sites as well as being quoted in news stories and blog posts. 

As someone who "did drag" or also known as "performed in drag", I find this outrageous, cowardly, bigoted, and downright mean.  This backlash against Drag Performances is due to the close-minded conservative people who are brainwashed into thinking that Drag Queens reading to children at the public library or in a classroom is somehow harmful.

I designed the digital art to offer people a tangible way to show their support of drag performers everywhere.  Whether a person chooses to perform as a Drag Queen (female presenting), a Drag King (male presenting) or a non-gender specific Drag Performer they should not be in fear of being arrested, fined and/or jailed for expressing their artistic vision.

The pinback buttons, tote bags and coffee mugs are now available in my Etsy shop: 

The Lady Kay Designs

The really amazing part of all of this is these are the same people who have enjoyed movies and TV shows that depict drag throughout the last 50 years (albeit not always in a positive or even politically correct way). They may not watch RuPaul's Drag Race, but I would hazard a guess they've seen Klinger on M*A*S*H or Flip Wilson as Geraldine or Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie, not to mention Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire or Julie Andrews as Victor/Victoria. One of the most popular movies of 1959, "Some Like It Hot" starred Marilyn Monroe with Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon in drag!! Why yes, that Tony Curtis...you know, Jamie Lee Curtis' father!! One of the biggest hits on Broadway in the past ten years was the 2013 Best Musical Tony Award winning "Kinky Boots" which also awarded Best Actor in a Musical to Billy Porter for their portrayal of "Lola".

So obviously I have an opinion of how this should be represented, exalted and even applauded, not vilified and criminalized.  If you feel the same, how about we share how we feel when we're walking down the street carrying our purchases, sitting at our desks, or drinking coffee or tea in the break room at work!!  Proclaim your views on intolerance and show how open-minded and free-thinking you are with products that display "DRAG IS NOT A CRIME"!

Slainte Mhuth (Much Health)

2021.06.23 WIPs Wednesdays

This month's International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW) had the theme of butterflies.  My daughter, Avalon, loves butterflies and we had previously picked out this pattern from Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) a mini size of Butterfly Effect from the artwork by Kate Powell.  I chose a pale sky blue hand dyed Aida from Mystic Fabrics from my stash and started at the bottom center.  The needleminder is from the cover art of the book "The Mists of Avalon" by Marian Zimmer Bradley. 

This story is what prompted my mom to suggest naming my daughter Avalon Rose.  As I was looking for the right name to accompany my son's name, Tristan William.  Their names are a reflection of my history background with a focus on English monarchs.  Which also explains the Henry VIII pattern I'm working on, LOL!!  

Tristan is named after the character in the movie, "Legends of the Fall" portrayed by Brad Pitt.  His middle name is honor of my stepdad William "Bill" Vanderheid and my stepbrother William "Little Bill" Vanderheid.  

After mom suggested Avalon, I knew her middle name would be Rose not only for my city, Portland, called the "City of Roses", but also for a very dear friend, Cecil aka Tonya Rose.  This would solidify our family as part of the "Rose" drag family forevermore.  

Slainte Mhuth (Much health)

Summer is an interesting time for me...apparently I think everyone should know what the hell is going on with me at this time of year, as this is the first post of a new blogging venture, the second time around as it were.

Here's a look at the first post, which does a pretty decent job of introducing me, of that original blog.  Of course there have been a few changes and additions, but we'll get to those later.  For the moment, here's a look back to six years ago...

07.22.2013

Hello and welcome, I am The Liberal Lady Kay and I blog from a unique perspective on life, parenting, widowhood, LGBT, preparedness, crafts, TV, movies and books. I am a single mom to a son and daughter. My husband, their father, died of colon cancer in 2005 at the age of 44. It has been a long, steep road to this point. But, I am happy to say we are enjoying life more each day.

As the moniker says…I am a liberal (oooo one of those!), a registered Democrat, second generation born Oregon resident and proud member of Portland’s LGBT community. I am HIH Rose Princess XXXVII, The Lady Kay of the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court of Portland, Oregon.

I love crafts! From scrapbooking, card making, cross stitch, collage and rubber stamp art to a wee bit of crochet. I love to learn how to make or decorate new things. Making my home a reflection of me and my kidlets while keeping my OCD (obsessive crazy disorder) in check with a love of lists and organizing fills my day! But of course, I never have enough on my plate with my ever growing home library of books and dvds, so this is where my blog comes to life!

Come sit a spell and let us wonder at the beauty around us, discuss the latest interesting news, create a space where we can be strong and proud, all while enjoying some thoughtful or light-hearted entertainment.

Cheers!

So...the biggest change is the addition of another son to my little family.  Dallas had been in our life since 2011 as a school mate of Tristan, my eldest.  But as of March 2014, Dallas moved into our home and became my 2nd son and a sibling to my kidlets.  


Back in February of 2018 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and graduated from Boot Camp in May 2018 to become a Marine.  This in turn made me a Marine MoM (Mother of a Marine).  We are all so proud of him and miss him everyday.

Another change is the location.  Yes, I'm still in Portland, Oregon, but I moved houses and am now residing in the house where I was raised.  I think it will take a whole other blog post to describe how and why that happened and how I feel about that.  Short story, my father died and I got the house.

The next change I want to mention is the loss of one of my best friends, Cecil Lasure aka Tonya Rose.  Again, the details will require a heart-wrenching post, which I'm sure I'll get to eventually, but it hasn't been a quite a year and my emotions are still really raw.

Well, these are the major changes that I'll mention now.  There are a number of other things that will undoubtedly crop up in the future.

For now, welcome...make yourself at home.  Let me know if there is anything you would like to discuss or just follow along and lurk in the shadows if that's your thing.  Anxiety is a language that is spoken here.  Thanks for joining me and hope to see you next time!

Cheers!