Northeast Portland church preaches inclusivity with drag brunch

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Amid a wave of wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the nation this election season, a Northeast Portland church sent a message of inclusivity by hosting a drag brunch Saturday morning.

“Blessed Are the Drag Queens” was put on by the Bridgeport United Church of Christ to raise funds for church programs, including transitional housing and other community partnerships. The event even featured local drag icon Poison Waters.

Overall, the church says its goal is to focus on human rights – including trans rights – as well as opposing the targeting of drag queens as a scapegoat for bigotry.

“We celebrate the art of drag here,” said the church’s pastor Rev. Tara “T” Wilkins. “Not just the welcoming of transgender or nonbinary people, but rather lifting up all the good that the art of drag can do and generate.”

Wilkins added this support also extends to other underserved communities in the Portland area, and has been a practice the church has continued since their formation 25 years ago.

“Bridgeport was founded as sanctuary for the LGBTQ community,” Wilkins noted. “Our position to also support refugees, asylum seekers, the Black Lives Matter movement and the unhoused in the Montavilla neighborhood has often drawn criticism and threats. But we are unwavering in our commitment to full inclusion and community.”

The celebrations will continue Sunday morning, when the church will hold a National Coming Out Day service at 10:30 a.m.

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