You may or may not have heard of Lady Maga. He is a gay drag performer who is also a conservative. I met Lady Maga (AKA: Ryan Woods) at the 2022 Utah Republican nominating convention. As a veteran of these gatherings, I can honestly say that Ryan was the most interesting person I have ever encountered at a GOP convention, which may not be saying much since if you have met one Utah Republican, you have pretty much met them all.
I was taking a bathroom break, and as I strolled into the men's room there was a tall, blonde woman checking her makeup in the mirror. At first, I thought I had perhaps wandered into the wrong latrine. I went back out and checked the sign and was relieved to see that I was in the right place. That still does not explain why a woman was in the men's room. But then after a moment's thought, I realized, "Oh, yeah. The world is doing that now." So I went back in. I thought he might have been a protester who had somehow managed to invade the convention.
Lady Maga did not waste any time in letting me and everyone else know that he did not believe he was a woman and that he was staunchly opposed to indoctrinating children into trans ideology and resolutely against men going into women's spaces. After he left, the reporter in me kicked in, and I knew I had to get an interview.
While trying to figure out how I was going to explain to my wife that I was looking for a man in drag whom I had met in the men's room, I caught up with Ryan on the exhibitors' floor. He reiterated his stance on kids and men and also said that children had no place at drag shows of any kind. He was and is strongly opposed to the sexualization of children and has no trouble calling out the LGBTQ movement. He stated for the record that as a gay man who is a drag performer, he is furious that the art form was being hijacked. On his X profile, he describes himself as a “PATRIOT! Advocate. Proud American. Not alphabetical. Costume artist.”
It is Pride Month, as we all know, and Salt Lake City is the scene of many events this year. Usually, I don't go up to the city during June, but I suspected that Ryan/Lady Maga would put in an appearance. Ryan is a feisty conservative activist who, to my knowledge, has never shied away from any situation. This time he was talking to attendees about "Queers for Palestine."
Do queers for Palestine understand what they’re supporting? pic.twitter.com/j4vglLfOCO
— Lady Maga USA 🇺🇸 (@LadyMagaUSA) June 3, 2024
The young lady's ignorance is stunning. To a certain degree, it is understandable that she was unaware that gays and lesbians face persecution in areas such as Palestine. Most people in her demographic are deeply indoctrinated and, as we are all aware, live by their feelings, One could argue that they interpret the entire world through the lens of their emotions. That does not bode well for the future. It does not give one much hope for the present, but such is life. However, the fact that she was under the impression that Israel is a Muslim country displays a lack of awareness that is monumental.
Ryan gave an interview to the New York Post:
“My role as Lady Maga is not to just support the MAGA movement and encourage people to support President Trump, it’s to expose the modern hijacking of the gay movement,” Woods said.
One of the many ways he feels the movement has gone astray is in adopting “humiliatingly stupid” political issues like “Queers for Palestine.”
“It’s like saying ‘mice for cats’ or ‘slugs for salt’.”
It may be tempting to dismiss Ryan because he is a gay drag performer. But whether or not Ryan's appearance, orientation, and occupation make you uneasy, he is a needed voice in these times. For one thing, his appearance allows him access to places where a standard-issue conservative may have a difficult time finding an audience. He told The Post, “If it was just your regular white man in a Trump hat walking around, I don’t think people would have been as receptive.”
Then there is his demeanor. You will note in the video that he is never once condescending or angry. When I interviewed him, he never lost his sense of camp. Lady Maga may not be every conservative's cup of tea, but he is bringing the message to people who desperately need to hear it.
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