EDITORIAL - Drag Queen Jesus

One video that is now making the rounds in social media is a performance by a drag queen at a private gathering during Pride Month. His was no ordinary costume; he was dressed as Jesus Christ, and with the additional accoutrements Christ would have had if he were a drag queen.

Everyone and their mothers howled in protest at the performance of the drag queen later identified as Pura Luka Vega. For them the offense was twofold: First was the use of Our Lord’s Prayer turned into a punk rock version, and his dressing up as the son of God.

Vega has offered an explanation for his actions.

“My intention was never really to mock per se. I feel like it’s my queer way of actually praising God... I did that intentionally to challenge our notion of how we worship or sing our praises. It’s me trying to reclaim me as a Catholic, what I think can be considered as an acceptable form of worship,” he said, adding that he will not issue an apology for it.

There is no doubt the act was deplorable. While Vega sees his performance as an expression of himself and his art, we cannot help but see it as blasphemous. He uses a prayer, something considered sacred, turned into a form of dance music. Then he uses the image of the Son of God then demeans it by bringing it down to the level of cheap entertainment.

He basically turned something many hold holy and sacred into something that should be made fun of and laughed at.

Another member of the LGBT community, Bataan Representative Geraldine Roman, who said she found the act offensive, says it well: Freedom of expression is not absolute.

But with that said, as Christians we have to be able to forgive and move on. Never mind if Vega isn’t really sorry for what he did. Never mind if he won’t apologize.

While many of us may see the need to defend our faith tooth and nail, it will only be us who will suffer if we dwell too long and too hard on this unfortunate event.

Vega did something he should not have done, but let’s not be the judge. Let he who has no sin cast the first stone and all that. Let’s leave the final judgment to the one he sought to make fun of.