Meet the drag queens on Twitch paving the way for LGBTQ+ streamers Cash Monet \/ Londyn Bradshaw \/ DeereWhen Londyn Bradshaw was asked to be a Twitch Partner during Pride Month, they made history on the popular streaming platform by becoming the first Black drag artist to receive this recognition. \u201cI always said I wanted to help make a space for people of color on this platform,\u201d they tell Dexerto. \u201cIt\u2019s a relief, in a way, because it shows that Twitch trusts me to help create that space. I\u2019m excited that we get to do that, and it\u2019s cool to be seen.\u201d Londyn is a member of Stream Queens, a growing team of drag artists who stream to audiences around the world on Twitch. Many of them play popular online games like Dead By Daylight or Mario Kart together, while others put on live performances or do transformations. Perhaps most importantly, the team welcomes everyone. While the popular TV show RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race has brought drag to the mainstream, it has faced criticism for not being inclusive enough. But on Twitch, anyone can have a platform, from queens to kings and beyond. \u201cI saw this potential for queer artists to thrive and be seen on Twitch,\u201d Stream Queens founder Deere tells us. \u201cMaking drag and queer people accessible, and visible, has and will continue to help us find a sense of belonging by finding each other.\u201d What started out as a small team has since grown to include almost a hundred diverse drag artists, each with their own talents and niche interests to share. One of these people is Cash Monet, who like many others began streaming on Twitch while in lockdown. \u201cI never thought I would be the kind of person to host shows or introduce other performers, but Twitch really helped me be more interactive and broaden my audience immensely,\u201d she says. \u201cSometimes this is the first time a viewer will see a drag artist or even a gay person!\u201d While pursuing their passion and entertaining viewers may be the main appeal of streaming, Cash Monet has also used her platform to raise money for the charity Stop AAPI Hate. It\u2019s one of the many ways drag artists are using Twitch for good. \u201cFrom the beginning of doing drag, I knew I wanted to make sure that I was doing more than just being a performer,\u201d she explains. \u201cI might not have money to give since I\u2019m living the artist lifestyle, but I do have time to give. Fundraising is something I can do without spending my own money.\u201d It\u2019s not all love and positivity, of course, as Twitch is known for having its fair share of trolls. The live nature of the streaming platform means anyone can tune in and spread negativity in the comments section, something Londyn Bradshaw has experienced firsthand. \u201cI was on the front page for Pride this month, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen so many ways to say racial slurs. I was kind of shocked, to be honest,\u201d Londyn tells us. \u201cThere are quite a lot of trolls in the world of Twitch \u2013 and then you get the Bible thumpers who say I\u2019m going to hell.\u201d \u201cAs a person of color, you deal with racism when you\u2019re outside walking down the street,\u201d they continue. \u201cOn Twitch, you have mods who are very kind and help delete those comments. If you\u2019re putting yourself out there, you have to be aware that it won\u2019t always be a positive response.\u201d Deere has also faced the darker side of Twitch. When they got their own \u2018PogChamp\u2019 emote, they faced a barrage of homophobia. But just like Londyn, they\u2019re willing to deal with any hate that comes their way if it means they can inspire others. \u201cI will gladly take on trolls and become a target if it can normalize queer people in spaces not made for us,\u201d explains Deere. \u201cIt\u2019s all worth it in the end if it can become easier and easier for those being themselves after us!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Meet the drag queens on Twitch paving the way for LGBTQ+ streamers Cash Monet \/ Londyn Bradshaw \/ DeereWhen Londyn Bradshaw was asked to be a Twitch Partner during Pride Month, they made history on the popular streaming platform by becoming the first Black drag artist to receive this recognition. \u201cI always said I wanted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55083\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}