We have some great and exciting events coming up. I’d like to share our November event. One of them that is a bit unusual for us, is Drag Queen Bingo. No you don’t dress up in drag, the Drag Queen calls the bingo! For anyone who knows me, nothing normal ever occurs and this is no different. Drag Queens are coming together to help us build the castle (the safe house) for adult women who have been trafficked. Our special queen for the afternoon is Trixie Deluxxe. Tickets are available only online straight from our website or from our Facebook page. Deadline is October 29th for ticket sales or we will have to cancel the event and we do not want to disappoint the Queens for the Castle. Seating is limited so reserve today.
Read the Google and Yelp reviews…..
“What are you waiting for? Drag Queen Bingo is a blast. Hilarious. If you’re too uptight to enjoy it, then it’s time to loosen up. Great girls (and some guys) night out.” — Susan J (8 months ago)
“Trixie Deluxe brought the house down! 2 hours of non-stop laughing to the point most were in tears, literally! Stop reading the reviews and just book the event, you will not regret it!” — Joe Blair (6 months ago)
“The Drag Queen in question is Trixie Deluxxe, and Trixie is a fabulous entertainer.”
Cari
Gosh I love this cause and plan to get involved, but reading about this event alarms me a bit. Just another form of exploitation isn’t it? Maybe not dangerous but still.
BRANCH Founder
Well, it is definitely a good question. This is one that I actually wrestled with quite a bit. After seeking wise counsel, speaking with a survivor on this exact question, along with a lot of prayer, and board discussion, it was decided by our board to move forward. Why? Our partner (survivor), recommended that we speak in this community. It was stated that many in the LBGT community are overlooked and have sexual abuse or trafficking in their past, whether they wish to admit it or not. As we are learning how many boys and men are affected by sexual abuse, this became a topic we had to discuss within our organization. It was recommended to reach out to this population. Amongst my other discussions with the board and wise counsel, we went to the scriptures. God calls us to be the salt of the earth. We cannot season the world if we (the salt) are kept in storage. We also looked at the walk of Jesus. Jesus went into the non-popular places to look for the lost. We examined the 12 Apostles and their lifestyles of those He hand chose and where Jesus offered to each of them the choice to follow Him. Yes, this is controversial, however, we are told the greatest commandment is to love. How can we not talk about human trafficking in a population that needs to hear this message? If we love people, we have to reach out to them, that includes this circle.
I was astounded by the generosity of those who worked there. In actuality, I received quite a few questions from staff about human trafficking along with support for our organization. Survivors will probably disagree with you, but that is something that each person has to decide for themselves. When this opportunity was presented to me initially, I made the tough decision to look into this. With the assistance of much prayer and counsel…. everyone involved decided yes. You are more than welcome to contact us to discuss this further. Please keep each of us covered in prayer. We understand that not everyone may agree, but we know that for our organization, in order to reach the lost and share the message of human trafficking, we must go where it is unpopular. Showing the love of Christ for us means stepping into the uncomfortable.