House bill targets Drag Queen Bingo funding
The Freedom Caucus has taken aim at the state’s main fundraiser for Wyomingites living with HIV/AIDS, claiming the bingo is “an insult” to those individuals. They have recommended no alternative.
The annual Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser in Laramie aims to help those in Wyoming living with HIV/AIDS to access specialist healthcare. Organized by the nonprofit Wyoming AIDS Assistance, the event has raised nearly $700,000 since its humble origins in 2002.
But a new bill filed by Riverton Rep. Joel Guggenmos (HD-55) could severely restrict the nonprofit’s ability to access public health funding — funding that has historically allowed the organizers to offer HIV tests during the event.
House Bill 134 prohibits any government agency, local government body, or educational institution from supporting any “sexually explicit event” with state or federal funding, personnel, facilities or equipment.
The bill could impact a broad spectrum of events; Rep. Mike Yin (HD-16) wondered in April whether such a bill would affect events like the annual Bras For A Cause in Jackson. But the bill itself follows a recent right-wing outcry against the Drag Queen Bingo in particular — and it seems tailored to prohibit support for events that involve drag.
As the bill states:
As used in this section, ‘sexually explicit event’ means any show, exhibition or presentation before an audience that lewdly or lasciviously depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, subject to determination by the entities specified in subsection (c) of this section. [Emphasis added]
House Bill 134 lays out a process by which the governor, city councils, university trustees or others would be tasked with determining if an event qualifies as “sexually explicit.” Such a label would then disqualify an event from being hosted on government or university property, from making use of any taxpayer-funded resources and from receiving grants from or through any government agencies.
Hosted by the Stilettos drag troupe, the annual bingo in Laramie clearly advertises itself as being for adults. The queens perform dance numbers between rounds of bingo and lean on risqué humor throughout the night, but — as with most drag performances — there is no nudity and there are no sex acts.
For several years, the organizers have applied for and received a small grant — always less than $3,000 — in federal funding through the Wyoming Department of Health.
Scott Cheney, the nonprofit’s board president, told Cap City News earlier this year that this grant supports HIV prevention messaging and rapid tests, which are available for free to bingo attendees.
“Through partnerships, volunteers and the incredible generosity of donors, we’ve made significant strides in raising awareness, reducing stigma and improving access to resources for individuals living with HIV and AIDS in Wyoming,” Cheney said. “I think a lot of people want to think AIDS isn’t a problem anymore — and it still is. It has been for years. We’ve made strides in treatment, but strides in treatment don’t pay for someone living in Jackson to travel to Cheyenne for their treatments.”
In April, the annual bingo came under fire when the state’s right-wing Freedom Caucus began railing against the health department for its support of what the caucus labeled a “sexually explicit” event.
“Is this the role of government?” asked a Freedom Caucus post on X. “Taxpayers should not be expected to fund the escapades of ‘boozed up cowfolk’ at ‘R-rated’ drag shows. Publicly funded AIDS prevention efforts should be targeted on evidence-based strategies — not a perverted and scandalous event. The careless use of taxpayer dollars is an insult to those who have suffered and lost their lives to this deadly and serious disease.”
This anger was amplified by a Cowboy State Daily story which did not highlight the fundraiser’s history or consistent success and did not challenge the Freedom Caucus’ assertion about “evidence-based strategies.”
The bingo explicitly supports access to evidence-based medicine.
The topic got some attention during a Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee later in April, during which Freedom Caucus lawmakers grilled health department leaders about the bingo and the grant that supports it.
Lander Rep. Sarah Penn (HD-33) — who lost her seat in the 2024 election and will not be returning for the 2025 General Session — proposed bringing a committee bill to prohibit the department from supporting “sexually explicit” events.
The labor committee never got that far, however, because its next meeting, in August, was cut short.
Guggenmos is bringing the bill individually — meaning it will likely have to gain committee support during the session itself if it is to succeed.
The bill is co-sponsored by Green River Rep. Marlene Brady (HD-60), Cheyenne Reps. Steve Johnson (HD-8) and Ann Lucas (HD-43), Worland Rep. Martha Lawley (HD-27), Lyman Rep. Joe Webb (HD-19), Cody Rep. Nina Webber (HD-24), Douglas Sen. Brian Boner (SD-2) and Kemmerer Sen. Laura Pearson (SD-14) — most of whom are members of, or endorsed by, the state Freedom Caucus.
Neither Guggenmos nor any other member of the Freedom Caucus has filed any bill providing alternative support for Wyomingites living with HIV or AIDS.
Despite national and now state-level attacks on drag, drag queens and drag events, the Stilettos’ annual event in Laramie remains popular. In 2023, the bingo sold out in five hours. In 2024, it sold out in less than 30 minutes.
The Freedom Caucus has repeatedly taken aim at drag shows in Laramie, which often serve as a symbol of the city’s inclusive nature and its defiant queer community.
Since it's always projection with the Freeloader Caucus, how many of the co-sponsors listed like drag themselves?
I suspect that the citizens of Laramie would chip in enough money to continue this event if funding is cut.