Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor, is sponsoring a Halloween event that includes drag shows, drawing attention to her record on LGBTQ+ issues and gender policy. The event, organized by the LGBTQ+ group ColGay Pride, is open to children and features a variety of Halloween-themed activities.
ColGay Pride, an LGBTQ+ group based in Columbus, Georgia, described the event's programming, noting that while some activities are family-oriented, an "adults-only" portion including drag shows is scheduled to begin after 9 p.m. The group stated that the sponsorship from Lance Bottoms comes at a time when federal funding cuts under the Trump administration have made fundraising difficult, leading to the organization's planned closure next year.
This sponsorship adds to Bottoms' history of supporting LGBTQ+-related content that involves children. In 2019, while serving as mayor of Atlanta, she invited a drag queen to host a story hour after a similar event was removed from a library's schedule. Bottoms stated at the time, "Ms. Terra Cotta Sugarbaker and all our LGBTQ friends are always welcome at Atlanta City Hall."
Lance Bottoms' gubernatorial campaign has faced political challenges, including past campaign finance violations. Her public positions on gender policy have also become a point of contention. During a gubernatorial debate, she indicated that she would have vetoed the Riley Gaines Act, a bill that prohibits biological males from competing in women's sports. Bottoms explained her position by stating that decisions about athletic competition should be left to athletic associations rather than state government.
This stance has been highlighted by her opponent, Republican nominee Rick Jackson, who has used it to characterize Bottoms' positions as aligned with "woke ideology" and a failure to protect girls' sports. The Bottoms campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding her sponsorship of the Halloween event or her views on children's participation in events centered on gender expression.
Bottoms, having secured her primary, is set to face Jackson in the general election on November 3, 2025.