BenDeLaCreme, Alaska, and Peppermint want you to drag your ass to the polls (exclusive)

“A lot of people think Gen Z are just disengaged or don't care,” says Drag Race: All Stars season two winner Alaska. “But that couldn't be further from the truth, because if you know anyone who's Gen Z or [if you] have the internet, it's very clear that young people are very aware of where they stand on politics. That's a really powerful thing. … That's a lot of people that could swing an election and really make actionable change.”

Though Drag PAC isn’t only aiming to engage Gen Z, as Drag Race season nine runner-up Peppermint says that the campaign is for people “of all ages, people that love drag, people that are part of the queer community, people that recognize that drag entertainers have a really historic connection when it comes to advocacy and policy in the queer community.”

“It's honestly for everybody who cares about the queer community,” she says.

Voter engagement will be the PAC’s main focus as November approaches, though Peppermint adds that she believes that “people are going to be more engaged than ever” this year, as “the game of politics is nastier and shadier than it ever has been.”

“It's more ridiculous and bombastic than it ever has been. It's a lot less calm, but it's also a lot less straightforward,” she says. “And politics in general is intertwined with entertainment and social media in a way that it obviously hasn't been in the past. … You can't escape it.”

It’s easy for voters to feel overwhelmed or disheartened in this kind of environment – especially those who are experiencing a presidential election for the first time in their adult lives. This is something Alaska says she’s felt, too, even as someone who’s been able to vote for decades.

“There's such a disenchantment with the political process because it just feels like they're not listening. It's the worst possible feeling to be, like, at least fucking acknowledge what I'm saying here as a voter. We're sick of it,” Alaska says, adding, “But a major part of that is getting out there and voting. Listen, I hate opening my mail. I do as rarely as I possibly can, but registering to vote is shockingly easy. And that’s the thing – voting for president is just one thing. There are elections all the way up and down.”

That’s something the PAC wants to highlight about the upcoming elections – it isn’t just about the president. Every single seat in the House of Representatives is up for election this year, and every single community has local officials to decide between that will impact their every-day lives. BenDeLaCreme also highlights that “when we are voting in an election, we're not just voting for a president – we are voting for an administration.”

“There's a lot of other things that are at stake, and even if you don't feel like you are fully aligned with either of the major candidates, there's a lot of other sway that you can have,” she says. “It's important not to sort of get lost in the noise of this one person being the only person that really matters.”

This is why the PAC has not officially endorsed a candidate for president, and why it is not currently planning to do so. Dylan Bulkeley-Krane, Founder of Drag PAC, explains that “there are so many amazing down ballot candidates, and that's really where we'll see the opportunity to protect queer rights and fight back against a lot of the people who are pushing these hateful homophobic laws.”

“So much attention is taken up at the presidential level, and our point is really that there are so many other things to be voting for,” Bulkeley-Krane says. “You can be pissed off about what's happening at the top, but really realize that in your local neighborhood there are people running for city government and state level government, and those are the people that are really going to make a meaningful impact on queer people's lives.”

He adds, “Just being upset about what's happening at the top of the ticket isn't a reason not to vote – you're actually giving up so much opportunity to influence how your community is treated in your locality.”

For those who aren’t thrilled about either major candidate – or even those who aren’t thrilled about voting at all – Peppermint believes that “if you're second guessing, at least it's an opportunity for you to look a little bit deeper, do some research, and make your own sort of decisions about the type of future that you want to see.”

“Hopefully you're making that decision with a sort of empathetic heart,” she says. “I don't want to be a doomsdayer, because while the system of politics and our elected officials’ ethics are so shaky, that’s not the will of the actual people. It's not what I would call the American spirit.”

BenDeLaCreme relates to the feeling as well, but while “it's easy to get lost in the darkness and the doom of that that a lot of us feel heavy with right now,” she says that it’s important to instead put that energy into something productive.

“There is a lot of hope, but it depends upon us engaging. It doesn't happen by itself, and it never has. And we are a really powerful community,” BenDeLaCreme says. “It can be hard to remember even a few decades ago what it was like to be an LGBTQ person. But we fought our way out of that, and we did it by banding together. And we can do it again.”

“It's okay to feel fear. I think fear can be a healthy motivator,” she adds. “But don't just let it be paralyzing. Let it motivate you.”

As drag artists who have been performing for decades, the queens have seen candidates and elections come and go. They’ve also seen countless attacks on the LGBTQ+ community start and pass. For Alaska, who’s been doing drag for over 20 years now, this turmoil isn’t new – and it can be overcome.

“When I first started drag, I was not trying to change the world. I was just trying to have fun, and I really liked girls' clothes,” she says. “But now, we've entered this world where when drag queens speak up, there's people who are listening. So with that, I feel like there's a little bit of a responsibility to make the world a better place.”

“There's a lot to be scared about now for sure. But I started doing drag during the George W. Bush administration – it was scary then as well,” Alaska continues. “All I can say is, remember that this community is fucking fierce and powerful, and we don't back down. Ultimately, the world is listening. Our community, the LGBTQIA community, are the tastemakers. When we speak up, people listen. So don't be afraid to go out there and live your life and be who you are. Never be afraid of that.”

Or as Peppermint puts it: “There's nothing that they're introducing to us as queer people that queer individuals have not endured and triumphed over.”