Black Drag Queens Invited To Take Over Oregon House Floor In Capitol Building

By Staff

Isaiah Esquire and Aqua Flora lip-synched and danced for nearly five minutes.

SALEM, Ore. — Legislative session began last week with a black drag queen performance on the floor of the Oregon House, resulting in praise from Democrats and criticism from Republicans.

Rep. Travis Nelson (D—Portland), a gay black nurse, invited the pair to perform the "opening ceremony" in front of the legislature. The performance was in support of Pride Month and also Nelson's Resolution 3, which bestows a special legislative honor on black gay drag queens.

The two drag queens lip-synched to Aretha Franklin’s "A Deeper Love" and Beyoncé’s "I Was Here" while decked out in metallic lamé and multi-colored spandex costumes, prancing across the room for nearly five minutes. At times, they dropped to the carpet and rolled around, even trying to do the splits.

"I’d like to take a moment to extend deep gratitude and recognition to the incredible drag performers who joined us this morning," Nelson said. "Aqua Flora and Isaiah Esquire joining us on the House floor today in addition to all of the LGBTQ+ folks in the building. Your presence, artistry and courage are a powerful reminder of the joy, resilience and cultural impact of drag in Oregon and beyond. Thank you for sharing your light with us this morning. It’s an honor to have you here."

All but two of the Republican Caucus were either pre-excused or walked out of the spectacle. The two remaining, Rep. Cyrus Javadi (R—Tillamook) and Rep. Kevin Mannix (R—Salem), returned to cast their votes in favor of Resolution 3, while the Republicans who had walked out returned to vote nay. In the end, the House adopted the resolution 34 to 9. Javadi laughed and clapped throughout the ceremony, which he had brought his young teenage daughter to see.

“Today’s resolution honors Oregonians who have exercised that right [to express themselves freely]. Who have used their voices to contribute to their communities. And while we may not all share the same beliefs or backgrounds, we share this place, this country and this Constitution,” Javadi said. “I support the spirit of this resolution because it affirms that no matter who you are, or what you believe, you matter and you’re welcome here.”

Javadi then posted in his public Substack blog a lengthy article, which seemingly threw fellow Republicans under the bus, stating that his stance was the right thing to do because it defended First Amendment rights.

“It was just really powerful and beautiful to be able to show up and be just a fragment of what the drag community provides to Oregon,” Aqua Flora said in an interview with The Oregonian. “What got me through the performance was feeling the ancestors of all these people in the room with us.”

Isaiah Esquire wept openly on the House Floor.

Rep. Dwayne Yunker (R—Grants Pass) posted on X, “I’m not sure the Founding Fathers envisioned taxpayer-funded legislative chambers being turned into platforms for political theater."

Dozens of national and international headlines mocking Oregon have sprung up in major newspapers and on television as a result of the ceremony.

A recall or primary effort is rumored to be in the early planning stages against Javadi.