Here's How Much Money the 'Drag Isn't Dangerous' Telethon Raised

The drag artists featured on the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon collected way more than just a few dollar tips.

The Drag Isn’t Dangerous digital event aired for nearly five hours on Sunday, May 7. At the end of the night, the telethon raised a total of $523,000. That number has gone up on Monday, May 8, with a current total of $536,087 on the event’s official GoFundMe page.

Cohosted by Peppermint, Justin Martindale, Alaska, and Adam Shankman, the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon featured guest appearances from celebrities such as Charlize Theron, Jesse Eisenberg, Billy Eichner, Marcia Gay Harden, Leslie Jones, Orville Peck, Sarah Silverman, Johnny Sibilly, Adam Lambert, and Michelle Visage, among others.

Queens like Trixie Mattel, Bob the Drag Queen, and Alaska livestreamed the event through their YouTube channels, which can now be rewatched on the platform.

Drag Isn’t Dangerous also had both pre-taped and live performances from the likes of Idina Menzel (singing “Lights” from Next to Normal), Peaches (singing Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, Trixie Mattel (singing “Malibu”), Bob the Drag Queen (singing “B*tch Like Me”, Jinkx Monsoon (singing “The Lavender Song”), and Ginger Minj (singing “I Am What I Am” from La Cage aux Folles).

Overall, this was an emotional, fun, campy, and very important event for the LGBTQ+ community. It was also fabulous to see that so many allies showed up to support drag artists and trans people during these scary times.

One can hope that this anti-drag and transphobic rhetoric will go away soon. For the time being, the best we can do is stay strong, be visible, and raise money to help our community.

You can still donate to the Drag Isn’t Dangerous initiative via GoFundMe.