Wins, Glitter, and Lattes

A cafe owner was attacked for hosting a Drag Story Hour but her community stepped up

“Sin, Glitter, and Lattes.”

That’s what Ghiovanna, owner of Coterie Lounge & Cafe, recently started printing on t-shirts. Her friends and customers love it — not just because it’s a catchy phrase, but because it’s a reminder that community love can defeat extremist hate.

Ghiovanna and her family at her cafe

Ghiovanna and her friend Roxie D. Mocracy had already worked together to put on drag shows at her cafe. The community loved the shows, so Roxie and Ghiovanna thought a Drag Story Hour could be a fun new addition.

Unfortunately, a right-wing extremist named Darbi did not agree. This wasn’t the first time that Darbi tried to impose her extremist views on the rest of her community. She was elected to the local school board in 2022 (after running on an anti-DEI platform during the nationwide chaos over “critical race theory”) but was quickly removed from the board after being disruptive and abusive. One of her fellow school board members actually had to take out a restraining order against her.

Well, apparently Darbi found herself with some free time on her hands and decided to attack Coterie Cafe over their planned Drag Story Hour. She called the cafe a “breeding ground for potential pedophiles wrapped in glitter and sin,” which honestly seems a little funny until you consider that she was whipping up other extremists on social media to boycott and post negative reviews of Ghiovanna’s business.

Ghiovanna said that seeing it happen was like a punch to the stomach. It’s already hard enough to run a small business without a coordinated attack. Coterie Cafe is located in a Republican-leaning suburb of Cincinnati, so there was good reason to fear that the extremists might win.

But her panic quickly turned to gratitude as Ghiovanna’s community rallied around her. They defended her and Coterie on social media, sold out the Drag Story Hour event (along with the t-shirts), and business has been better than ever. She’s even received messages of support from as far as Denmark and Australia.

Most importantly, she’s heard from parents in her own community that they appreciate having a safe space for their kids. She says she’s had numerous people come up to her and say, “Hey, I just wanna say thank you for creating this space. I have a trans kid and because of you, I know that there’s a place that I can bring them to. Thank you for creating that space. Thank you for creating a space of love.”

Roxie D. Mocracy at Coterie’s inaugural Drag Story Hour

The Drag Story Hour was such a success, Ghiovanna and Roxie have already planned more drag and other LGBTQ-friendly events throughout June — and all year long! Because supporting the queer community isn’t just for Pride Month. It’s for every month.

You can listen to Ghiovanna tell the story here on today’s How To Not Lose Your Sh!t podcast!