![As drag shows in the U.S. are increasingly targeted, the community fears violence](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6678082.1670454701!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/north-carolina-drag-show.jpg)
As drag shows in the U.S. are increasingly targeted, the community fears violence
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details about threats of sexual violence
The best way Lauren Mathers can describe what happened in her community over the past month is a situation that became "out of control."
And in describing it that way, she's being very polite.
As the executive director of Sandhills PRIDE, an LGBTQ advocacy group based in North Carolina, this was not her first time organizing a drag show. But it was the first time she'd experienced threats of violence, forcing difficult conversations about whether the Dec. 3 event should be cancelled for the safety of everyone involved.
In the final days leading up to the show, Mathers said the pressure was so intense, "there was a moment where we all had to sit down and say, 'are we going to do this?'"
The headline drag performer said there were moments when she feared for her life.
Now, Mathers is getting phone calls from reporters across the U.S. about whether she thinks a targeted attack on the local power grid that left 45,000 customers without electricity the night of the show could be linked to efforts to shut it down. She won't speculate, and police said they don't have evidence to make a link, but added they're not ruling anything out.
While this is one specific story, it also serves as an example of a larger issue causing panic throughout the LGBTQ community in the United States.
Drag shows have become a target for a mix of right-wing extremists, elected officials including some members of Congress and other fringe agitators. Threats of violence have led to the cancellation of some events. Police and private security have been required to keep others on schedule.
This year alone, more than 120 events featuring drag performers in 47 different states faced targeted threats, according to a first-of-its kind report by GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization. And the Department of Homeland Security warned, in its latest summary of domestic terror threats, that the LGBTQ community is among several groups that could be targeted.
Last month, five people were killed and 17 injured when an attacker opened fire in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. The suspect is facing more than 300 charges, including hate crimes offences.
"You have to have a really really thick skin to live in this world right now because it's much more difficult, I feel, than it was 20 years ago," Mathers said.
WATCH | Vigils held for victims in LGBTQ night club attack:
The backlash for the Saturday performance began shortly after ads were published promoting a drag show called Downtown Divas in Southern Pines, a small town about 110 kilometres southwest of Raleigh.