Johnny Haught (left-center) is challenging drag show-haters to meet him face-to-face.
MMA fighters volunteer as security for drag show after threats cancel event
A mixed martial arts gym in Wheeling, West Virginia is getting some attention after offering to volunteer some of their athletes to work security at a drag show after threats cancelled a show at a nearby restaurant.
MMA coach Johnny Haught and his fighters at Ohio Valley MMA offered to stand guard so the show could go on, but ultimately the event planned to take place at Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar, in Triadelphia, West Virginia, about six miles from Haught’s MMA studio, was shut down.
The event was organized by S&S Productions, a Pennsylvania-based LGBTQ production company that hosts drag events in the region. Threats towards the restaurant and patrons were the cause for the shutdown.
The announcement was cancelled on the show’s Facebook page stating:
“*UPDATE CANCELLED*
We were so incredibly excited to bring you a fabulous brunch to Wheeling WV. Unfortunately, due to the amount of threats towards Primantis, the entertainers, & sometimes even patrons, we’ve decided for the safety of everyone involved to cancel the event. We couldn’t wait to party with you all, support the local lgbtqia+ community, and show that a little glitter never hurt anyone. We hope in the near future we can try to bring another brunch to the area – we were only 2 tables away from a fabulous sold out event so we know yall want us there! 😉”
“I’m not afraid to stand up to people, and I train to fight people all day, every day, so if somebody really wants to attack somebody, let them attack me instead,” Haught said. “Don’t attack the drag queens.”
“The drag show is no more offensive than a Broadway show, or a stand-up comedy show. In essence, it’s a mix of both,” he told WTRF News Station. “At the end of the day, it is entertainment. Not part of some hidden agenda, like some would have you believe.”
While a rescheduled drag brunch at Primanti Bros. has not been confirmed, Haught said he and his trainees will be ready if and when it does happen.
