Drag queen attacked again in Amsterdam
A drag queen known as Reggy B., known for appearing on the second season of Drag Race Holland, was punched in the face at a tram stop in Amsterdam-West on Wednesday evening, police said. In a separate incident reported alongside the case, a taxi driver who struck a drag queen was sentenced to 60 hours of community service.
Police said Reggy B. was attacked at a tram stop on Admiraal de Ruijterweg while she and another drag queen, Tootsi, were on their way to a performance. "Makeup was on but no drag costume yet," Reggy B. said on Instagram. They were reportedly shouted at by a group of boys, who followed them after they did not respond. At the tram stop, she said one boy approached and hit her with a full fist in the face before running away. The drag queen said bystanders did not intervene and that employees of public transport operator GVB did not assist during the incident.
She described the aftermath on Instagram, writing: “We performed our booking purely on adrenaline, but at home came pain and shock. My face hurts. I am shocked and still scared. But we must continue."
She later told Het Parool this was the third time she has been the victim of a violent incident and said she feels less safe performing in Amsterdam compared with other cities. “I perform a lot outside Amsterdam, in Breda, for example, and there I worry much less about my safety.”
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema responded under Reggy B.’s Instagram post, writing, "What an awful thing that happened to you." “In Amsterdam everyone must be able to be free and safe themselves. And I say it again: hands off our LHBTIQ+ community.”
In a separate case referenced alongside the assault, a taxi driver who hit a drag queen was convicted and ordered to complete 60 hours of community service.
