By LANDRY RHODES
Special Contributor
Against the towering brick church walls sprung a rather upbeat tempo on Sunday, Feb. 16. The sun peered through the stained glass windows upon a dazzling array of feathers and pearls worn by some of the most notable drag queens in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
And standing upon the altar, in a glittering cassock and an equally glittering beard to match, stood the drag king Brock Bottom leading the congregation in a prayer.
For this Sunday, the church was gathering in prayer to celebrate the art of drag.
The Cathedral of Hope hosted its second annual “Celebrating Drag” service on Feb. 14, featuring drag performer Brock Bottom, known outside of their drag persona as the Rev. Brooke Dooley, who delivered a guest sermon to a packed congregation.
From the pulpit, they shared their story of coming out as a young student cross-dressing in their theater department then on to studying in divinity school as a queer gender-non-conforming woman, to a crowd of supporters of the drag community. Among those in attendance were many notable drag queens and community service leaders such as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Dallas Bears.
The Cathedral of Hope has been known for its promotion of love and inclusivity since its foundation in 1970. However, since the wave of anti-drag legislation hit the Texas Legislature in the last session, the Rev. Neil Thomas has taken the bold stance of using the church’s message of radical inclusion to defend the targeted community.
As one way of doing that Rev. Thomas and the church hosted Drag Sunday in June of 2024. The Feb. 16 service was the second such celebration.
“Obviously, a number of our constituents are personally affected,” Rev. Thomas told The Dallas Morning News following the first Drag Sunday service. “These are just adults who are not only trying to live their lives, but they are also watching their piece of the [LGBTQ] alphabet be taken down, as they have to wonder who knows what’s next?”
Rev. Thomas decided to revive the tradition in the wake of the Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s recent announcement of making banning drag story hours a priority in the current legislative session.
Last session, Patrick restricted public displays of drag through SB 12, by restricting performances in certain areas where children may be present and punishing businesses that support them. Due to significant legal challenges brought upon by community groups such as the Texas Arts and Commerce Association, the bill was struck down in court and unable to be enforced. This year however, Lt. Gov. Patrick is taking another attempt to restrict the performance art.
While many of the younger generation remain fearful of the new threats coming from the Capitol, to many of the girls from the golden era the fight remains the same. Famed drag queen Donna Dumae has been fighting for the right to express her ego on stage for 41 years, and she is not planning on giving up anytime soon.
“There are people who hated us then, and sometimes the same people are hating us today. And that’s the sad, sad reality of it.” Dumae said following Saturday’s service.
“Being at the Cathedral today says that queer people should be included but also says we are still here,” Dumae continued. “Let them say what they wanna say; we’re not going away. We’ve always been here, and we’re gonna continue to fight. And I’m gonna be working with the Cathedral of Hope and other groups who will be fighting and marching.”