Partying All Night With the Anti-Woke Right at CPAC

Read the full article at The New Republic

After two pathetic failed attempts to sneak into the VIP area of the 3NINE nightclub for the Kick Off CPAC Weekend party in Orlando, Florida, the bouncer took pity on me and waved me through anyway. I left the dark pulsing fluorescence of the interior and emerged into the soft night air of the swank poolside bar. Beneath the palm trees, enraptured fans jockeyed for drinks and snapped selfies with various right-wing celebrities.

I had arrived too late, apparently, to catch Michael Flynn, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jack Posobiec, or many of the other far-right luminaries promised by the event flier. But Madison Cawthorn made an appearance flanked by handlers as James O’Keefe chatted with fans by the bar. Down by the pool, a hand-painted custom motorcycle straight from a 12-year-old’s classroom doodles stretched resplendent in front of a One America Motorsports media backdrop. Its handler cautioned me not to scratch the intricate hand-painted American flag detailing or oddly-Clintonesque Trump portrait as I climbed aboard the chopper for a photo.

I saw Lady MAGA USA from across the bar as I climbed down. She was impossible to miss—seven feet tall at least—with voluminous blonde hair and meticulous padding and a blue tulle dress any Disney princess would be proud to wear. Lady MAGA, aka Ryan Woods, lamented the Florida heat as she kindly posed for a photo with me. “I want to make America great again!” the drag artist declared cheerfully as I bid her farewell. “Not gay again”…

Read the full article at The New Republic