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Conservatives furious as armed men defend drag performers at brunch protest
Protesters who answered anti-trans activist’s call were stunned by display of support for drag event

A group of armed conservatives appeared shaken by pro-LGBT+ protesters guarding a “drag brunch” event in Roanoke, Texas, at the weekend, video has shown.
The two groups stood off against one another on Sunday outside Anderson Distillery and Grill, when an inaugural “Barrel Babes Brunch” event was held with local drag queens.
At least one conservative group had planned to protest against the brunch ahead of Sunday, including Protect Texas Kids, who, according to its website, aims to “take a stand in protecting kids from the toxic, indoctrinating agenda of the left” — supposedly in reference to support for LGBT+ people.
The event, which the restaurant said was fully booked and attended by families, went ahead with a sustained police presence despite those earlier threats made by alleged members of the far right on social media.
In fact, conservative protesters appeared taken aback by the presence of armed supporters outside the venue who were masked, dressed mostly all in black, and were holding AR-15 style weapons in defence of the venue and drag performers. Video and images also showed them displaying Pride and trans flags.
Footage captured by Steven Monacelli, a Dallas-area journalist, captured the verbal confrontation that unfolded involving police, who ordered the conservative protesters to the other side of the street. About half-a-dozen people were pictured holding placards with slogans such as “Drag the queens out of them”.