In Silkroad Cafe, a small event space in Tokyo’s Kinshicho Ward, flamboyant drag queens and kings sing, strut and pole dance across the stage to a packed house with an international audience. The evening’s performances comment on numerous social issues such as HIV, gun violence and the social masks we all wear.
This is “Fresh Meat,” an event series that the drag troupe Haus von Schwarz organizes to raise money for various causes through ticket sales and donations. This particular show on Nov. 24 raised money for CUFA, an organization that supports educational initiatives in favelas (neighborhoods across Brazil facing extreme poverty).
“We’ve fundraised in the past for causes including transgender rights, housing and refugees due to the close ties between the trans community and drag. We have also supported Palestine and Ukraine due to the constant human rights violations there,” says event co-host and Japan Times contributor Kat Joplin, who performs under the name Le Horla.
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