WOODLAND, Calif. — More than a week after an angry group of men crashed a bar in Woodland that had advertised a family-friendly drag show for the last night of pride, the Woodland Police Department says it is investigating the incident with the help of the FBI.
On June 30, Mojo's Bar and Lounge announced it would postpone the planned show due to threats circulating online.
Those online threats soon spilled into the real world. The group of roughly a dozen men was turned away at Mojo's front door by pepper spray, then stood across the street hurling hateful slurs and insults.
"They don’t know what it is, so their immediate first thing to do is reject it," said Israel Cudmore, who was set to perform as Rose Rowzay.
"Some people choose to blow glass, some people choose to make sculptures, I choose to do drag," Cudmore said. "I choose to paint my face in crazy ways and just go out and bring joy to other people."
Performers like Cudmore are accustomed to hearing some of the extreme accusations against them, especially when children are in the audience. But, he says, there are misconceptions about what they do.
"We're not predators. We don't have a big agenda we are pushing," Cudmore said.
But as scenes like the one at Mojo's play out around the country, for people like Cudmore, LGBTQ+ spaces feel less safe.
