Law’s a Drag presents: Hate Crimes Live!
On 23rd July 2026, two Lecturers within the School of Law co-ran a public engagement cabaret in Leeds city centre, explaining recent changes to hate crimes legislation in England and Wales.
Dr. Rosie Fox and Dr. James Greenwood-Reeves (or Fox Populi and Alice Aforethought, under their “dragademic” aliases) shared the stage at Wharf Chambers alongside a record number of local drag performers for their ‘Hate Crimes Live!’ cabaret. This show was an event co-ordinated within the Law’s a Drag project – a network of drag artists and legal academics working to research and improve drag performers’ lived experiences of law and injustice.
Alice Aforethought and Fox Populi take to the stage…
The event – named after a vote from Law’s a Drag network members – sought to highlight recent changes to legislation that criminalise crimes motivated by hostility to the victim’s perceived sexuality, transgender identity, or disability, as harshly as those motivated by hostility to their race or religion. The cabaret was designed both to inform the audience of these changes, and to allow artists to explore their own ideas and experiences of related themes. Audience members were also provided with a leaflet – designed by School of Law PhD candidate Caitlin Daly – detailing the key changes to legislation and a summary of the pros and cons of this change, and providing links to further support for those who had experienced hate crimes.
The compere for the night, The Witch Blair, introduced acts including Dan Glybits, Fae Fatale, Marie Celeste, Nefarious DeVile, Tom of Funland, S0PH1NAT0R, Themme Fatale, Yanusæa, and Pop Tart. Many of these performances spoke to experiences of marginalisation, with insights on themes including ableism and racial oppression. Others also showed moments of queer joy and defiance.
Nefarious de Vile’s lip sync performance incorporated audio from an interview with Angela Davis.
The audience were treated to performances from twelve artists in total – the largest roster of any Law’s a Drag cabaret show to date. The roster included both experienced artists and newer performers, debuting their work for the first time.
Between sets, the dragademics discussed the recent changes under s.145 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026. They also invited Prof. Mark Walters, Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Sussex and expert in hate crimes law, to join onstage for a Q&A session with the audience. Together, they highlighted the progress that the Act makes in recognising the symbolic power of denouncing acts motivated by hostility towards someone’s perceived sexuality, transgender status, or disability – whilst also recognising the limitations of relying upon the police and the criminal justice system, particularly for marginalised groups that may already be suspicious of those institutions.
Alice Aforethought introduces Professor Mark Walters for the Q&A with artists and the audience.
A packed audience provided helpful feedback to the dragademics via an anonymous online survey. Approximately 97% enjoyed the show, and about 93% said they found it informative, and that it helped them feel more like they were “part of a queer community.” Feedback from the audience and from the performers will be used to inspire future shows.
Previous Law’s a Drag shows include a September 2025 show in response to the For Women Scotland judgment, to explain the effect of that judgment on equality law to a local queer audience. The network also ran a February 2026 ‘History of Love!’ cabaret, exploring the legal history of queer identities, criminalisation of homosexual acts, and liberalisation of queer relationships, from the sixteenth century to the present day.
Drag artist Fae Fatale’s performance incorporated reflections on recent right-wing turns in public discourse on trans, nonbinary, and queer identities.
This latest Hate Crimes Live! cabaret is therefore part of a wider project that Law’s a Drag is undertaking, in collaborative partnerships that can create creative knowledge exchange opportunities. By joining forces with drag artists, legal academics not only can explore their lived experiences of law and legal institutions, but also learn how drag can be used to improve academic work – presentation, innovative research, community engagement, and discovering pathways to impact.
Further Information
- Learn more about Law’s a Drag at their website, and keep up with them on Instagram and Bluesky.
- All images courtesy of @rayalicevisuals
