In the spirit of the LGBTQ community, a group of seven drag queens performed a cabaret in a Protestant church in Strasbourg, aiming to redraw boundaries as well as to entertain.

The cabaret performance at Strasbourg’s Saint-Guillaume Protestant Church was called „12 Drag Queens of Hercules,” with the performers not only entertaining but also highlighting their characters’ feelings and expressing their emotions to the audience. Pastor Daniel Boessenbacher told France 3 that everyone was welcome at the church, adding that cabaret allows for the redrawing of boundaries – something that has been around for quite a while but has now been picked up again by the French press.

The article also reveals that the troupe was founded six years ago and originally consisted of 12 people but has recently been reduced to seven. The drag queens present their paths and life stories through the performance and try to make the audience understand their feelings. They also convey a key message that people should „be who they want to be.”

The company is touring all over France. One of their stops was a church in Strasbourg, which—known for its sympathy towards the LGBT community—holds regular gatherings for queer people. On the first Monday of every month, they hold a community discussion, prayer, and celebration in the parish building. The pastor was delighted with the drag queens’ performance. Daniel Boessenbacher believes that the church is not only a place of prayer but also a cultural space.

The performance at the church was part of the Démonsratif festival, organised in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg, and the company’s Facebook post says the evening was a success, with the drag queens planning to return to the city.

Strasbourg has a strong gender lobby and, as V4NA has highlighted earlier, the city’s Green Party leadership is generously supporting an association that holds sensitisation sessions for upper primary and secondary school students in the educational establishment.