In the face of the current pushback against the greater LGBTQ community, and especially the transgender community, Pink Carpet Resistance was born.
To Ian Townsley, the director of Pink Carpet Resistance, it is a way for those within the community and its allies to stand up and show visibility and camaraderie. How? By enjoying and celebrating trans and non-binary artists during an almost five-hour-long, 21-and-up-only event at Numbers on September 3.
“We want people to see that we have a lot of fight in us and they do not have permission to silence us, to kill us, to other us in any way,” says Townsley. “We will fight back against it to not only put on a great show, but to show how normal we really are because, at the end of the day, all we are is people.”
The evening, presented by Rivkah French Choreography and Townsley’s Houston Queer Events, will feature performers and speakers from every background and every genre of entertainment who (almost exclusively) identify as trans or nonbinary. And though Townsley himself is a drag king, he’s quick to point out that – contrary to popular belief – not everyone in the transgender community does drag.
So, while you will find several drag performers on the bill, you’ll also see sword swallowers, burlesque acts, aerialists, live musicians, DJs, singers, dance troupes and even alternative artists that Townsley says “do pain acts and things with spooky ooky blood and guts.”
“That’s the after-midnight part,” adds Townsley.
The entertainment will be broken up by several intermissions throughout the evening, and a posted schedule will ensure you don’t miss any of your favorites. The variety of different tiered ticket types will also get you special perks like dinner (including vegan options), drink tickets (either alcoholic or or something off the event’s specialty virgin cocktails), reserved seating, signed headshots, and photo opportunities with the artists.
“Having the one-on-ones and the meet and greets, the headshots – that’s a way of getting us on that floor close to our audience so that those that are not in the trans community that come out to support really get to see us for who we are, not just what we are,” says Townsley. “[They also] lift up the artists in a way that they do not often get.”
A longtime drag performer with his own company geared toward catering to a queer audience, Townsley knows better than most the importance of uplifting queer artists, including paying them a competitive wage. He says some venues pay trans performers lower fees “because they do not see us as valuable simply based on the fact that we don’t identify with the sex we were assigned at birth.”
The journey toward having his own company began in November 2021, when French contacted Townsley to help direct an event that became the first Houston Queer Camp.
The event, designed to “heal the trauma of queer youth,” mimicked youth summer camps but “upgraded and geared for adults.” So, right alongside classic camp activities like swimming, egg and spoon races, and talent shows, were on-site therapists and educational panels.
“I want you to imagine walking into a space that is for, of and by queer people exclusively and, all of a sudden, you are allowed to experience something that you never thought of,” says Townsley. “Every single attendee as they’re leaving hugs me with tears in their eyes telling me how much this meant to them, that they never knew how badly they needed it.”
After French decided not to pursue the camp as a yearly event, Townsley purchased the rights and went on to establish his own company, uniting the now twice-yearly camp and all of his endeavors under the umbrella of Houston Queer Events and Entertainment – officially making Townsley your go-to source for any of your queer entertainment needs.
Want some drag queens to party at your lesbian wedding – with the pleasure of making some of your less-than-supportive family members uncomfortable thrown in for free? Townsley can help. Is the bar mitzvah boy also a member of the BeyHive? Well, Townsley’s got just the Beyoncé impersonator for you.
Though he makes it clear he’s not out to police patrons’ sexualities or gender identities, Townsley says he chose the name of his company in order to leave no ambiguity.
“I wanted to make it clear across the board,” says Townsley. “This is a company by queer people, for queer people, of queer people, and if that is not something you support I don’t want you interested in my business.”
Townsley feels similarly about Pink Carpet Resistance.
“This is not for the people that are fighting against us,” says Townsley. “This show is for our allies and our community. This is a way for us to stand up and say, ‘Stand with us, because we will not be silenced.’”
If anything, Townsley says he wants every single person who attends Pink Carpet Resistance to leave with hope. That’s it.
“We actually want to entertain yes, we want to engage yes, we want to market and build community and everything, but one thing we do not have is hope,” says Townsley. “Right now, we are terrified for our lives. Most of our community is running and hiding and scared. We are ostracized by our own families. And I cannot imagine being a child right now. So, if nothing else. I hope they walk away with hope.”
Pink Carpet Resistance is scheduled for Sunday, September 3, at Numbers, 300 Westheimer. Doors open at 7 p.m. with entertainment beginning at 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit htxqee.com. $20-$75.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
