Kari Lake pushes back at drag queen with demand to ‘cease and desist’ – By Stacey Barchenger (Arizona Republic) / June 28, 2022
Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake — and her campaign lawyer — are trying to silence a drag queen whose social media posts labeling Lake a hypocrite have gone viral.
Richard Stevens, who performs as Barbra Seville and is one of the Phoenix area’s best-known drag queens, received the “cease and desist” letter while headed on stage at a family friendly drag brunch on Saturday.
The three-page letter demands that Stevens stop making certain claims about Lake, whom he once considered a friend, and delete a June 17 post that has turned into a national news story.
It also confirms that, about eight years ago, Lake and her family attended a party where Stevens showed up dressed as Marilyn Monroe. Lake’s campaign has said Stevens was an “impersonator,” drawing a distinction between that and a drag show.
