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The full house at Rebel Kitchen raises a toast to performer Ava Lashay during a drag brunch event on June 17. (Photo by Dina Parks / courtesy Rebel Kitchen & Libations) -
Avery Night makes a grand entrance during her performance at Rebel Kitchen & Libations on June 17. (Photo by Cierra Bailey) -
The Rebel Kitchen & Libations staff pose for a group photo with the queens of drag brunch. (Photo courtesy Rebel Kitchen & Libations) -
“Doll of the East Bay” Ava LaShay (center) poses with performers Queera Nightly (left) and Avery Night at Rebel on April 8. (Photo by Dina Parks / courtesy Rebel Kitchen & Libations) -
Ava LaShay kicks off the performances at Rebel Kitchen & Libations on June 17. (Photo by Cierra Bailey) -
An exterior view of Rebel Kitchen & Libations in downtown Livermore on June 17 ahead of its drag brunch event. (Photo by Cierra Bailey)
“Thank you for being you! We love you and we love the show!” The response to Rebel Kitchen & Libations’ first drag brunch rings in host and drag queen Ava LaShay’s memory.
LaShay and fellow drag performers Queera Nightly and Avery Night returned to the gastropub located in downtown Livermore last Saturday for a second drag brunch. This Pride Month, the event and its performers accumulated a wave of community support in the face of threats to boycott Rebel ahead of the show.
The drag queens were greeted by a packed house Saturday where rainbow decor and the LGBTQ+ Pride Flag adorned the entryway and front wall of the establishment.
“Right now there’s so much animosity towards the queer community, and Pride Month is a time where that is heightened. And to see the overwhelming display of support is really powerful,” Nightly said.
According to Nightly, drag shows are an important community space and an accepting space where people can relax and have fun.
“Drag shows are really the one place that people can go and feel safe, know that they’re going to be OK, and they can let their guard down. So I think it’s important that there is a space in Livermore where people can do that,” Nightly said.
Opposition spoke loudly, but did so as a minority, as described by Rebel owner Gianni Schell.
On June 6, an unnamed emailer urged their contacts to boycott Rebel and to forward the message on social media, according to Rebel’s event and marketing manager Dina Parks.
Later that same day, Parks turned to the Livermore Pride Facebook Group to rally support for the drag brunch and performers. According to Parks, the community responded en masse. Within the day, the brunch had sold out, filling the venue which had been about half booked just days prior.
“The community is stepping up and showing Rebel that we are going to support inclusive queer events with our dollars, and that a threat of boycott should not be a reason for them to not continue to have inclusive events,” said Brittni Kiick, the city’s vice mayor and a board member of Livermore Pride, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ community-building.
This support for drag, the performers and Rebel ultimately staved off the potentially negative financial impact of boycotting.
Days before the brunch, LaShay wrote, “It feels good knowing the community is coming out in support of the show, the queens and Rebel. We truly have an amazing community here in Livermore of both LGBTQIA+ and allies. It’s always a comfort knowing we aren’t alone.”
