Pittsburgh Gay Bar Faces Backlash Over Blackface Drag Performance

A gay bar in Pittsburgh has canceled upcoming events after a drag performer appeared in blackface during a Sept. 23 performance, which has since sparked widespread criticism and led to death threats against the bar's owners. The Blue Moon Bar, described as the "Friendliest Gay Bar in Pittsburgh," issued an apology on social media days after the incident.

The performance was reportedly intended as a tribute to the late actor Tim Curry, who voiced the character Hexxus in the 1992 animated film "FernGully: The Last Rainforest." However, images of the performance quickly circulated online, drawing condemnation for the use of blackface.

"This is actual disgusting, racist behavior being given a stage to perform and no one thinking twice about it," wrote one drag performer, Pinapple Honeydew, on Instagram. "Out of all of Tim Curry’s iconic characters, you HAD to do this one?? And you HAD to do blackface in order to portray a character no one was going to recognize anyway??? F–king insane."

In a Facebook post on Sept. 29, Blue Moon Bar management stated they were unaware of the performance until the following day and were "horrified" and "blindsided" by it. The bar explained that two guest hosts who do not typically run the open stage event were in charge and "somehow didn’t realize at the time what was happening." The post emphasized, "Whatever the intent, blackface is racist and harmful and it is never acceptable. We are sorry that it happened in our bar."

The bar also extended its apologies to "anyone who has been offended or triggered by pictures shared of this performance or to anyone who unfortunately witnessed it."

However, the controversy escalated, forcing the cancellation of the following week's open stage. In a Sept. 30 Facebook post, the bar cited "too many death threats for us to feel comfortable putting on the show this evening." Management also posted a sign in the performer's dressing room stating, "Absolutely NO Preformances Based on Race, Ethicity, or Nationality (that is not your own) Will Be TOLERATED!!!"

The unidentified drag performer issued a statement to QBurgh, expressing regret for the harm caused. "My attempt for accuracy in a cosplay caused an egregious error that resulted in harm to a community I love and care for," the performer said, adding a desire to be held accountable and make amends.

The incident at Blue Moon Bar follows a separate controversy at Last Ditch, a lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, which faced backlash in late September after temporarily lifting its COVID-19 mask mandate in an attempt to boost business.