Drag Wars
Cassie Nova (aka James Love) is the show director for the legendary Rose Room inside S4. Other cast members include, from left, Jenna Skyy, Krystal Summers, Kelexis Davenport, Layla LaRue and Sasha Andrews. (Photo by Manny Vega, courtesy of The Rose Room) The real ramifications of Senate Bill 12 CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writercarosavoiswriting@gmail.com As Texas lawmakers scrambled during the 2023 legislative session to criminalize “the radical left’s disgusting drag performances” in the name of children’s safety, the state’s rich history of queer performances watched, unappreciated, from a dusty corner of the State Capitol.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s vitriol toward family-friendly drag performances continued as he celebrated the passage of Senate Bill 12 after its passage on May 28. “It is shocking to me that any parent would allow their young child to be sexualized by drag shows,” Patrick said in a press release. “Children, who cannot make decisions on their own, must be protected from this scourge facing our state.” James Love, aka Cassie Nova, is a Dallas drag veteran with more than 30 years experience who’s done drag queen story hours at the Dallas Public Library and Dallas Museum of Art.
Love went to the state capitol in Austin in April to speak against SB12. “It’s a direct attack on me and my community,” Love said. “From Mrs.
Doubtfire to M*A*S*H, drag has been around forever. Now all of a sudden, drag is after your children? It doesn’t make sense.” The “scourge” Patrick referenced is more than 100 years old, with deep roots in Dallas.
