- 2 minutes ago
From trademark battles to First Amendment fights, the world of drag has seen its share of courtroom drama. Join us as we count down the most infamous legal disputes involving drag performers! Our list includes cases involving Shangela, Lexi Love, Vicky Vox, Pura Luka Vega, and more. Which case surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Today I'm breaking my silence about the lawsuit that the multi-billion dollar corporation Patagonia
00:05has filed against me, a drag queen and climate activist, for trademark infringement.
00:10Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today we're taking a deep dive into the most prominent legal disputes
00:14that have put drag performers front and center. We changed it just to Lexi and venues still pulled
00:20out. So I don't really know what else to do other than warrior up. Patagonia versus Patagonia.
00:28When two of the most recognizable names in environmental activism end up on opposite
00:33sides of a lawsuit, it's bound to make headlines. Patty accused Patagonia of trying to erase an
00:39activist in a betrayal of Patagonia's core mission. In a complaint, the company said this move reflects
00:44Patty's departure from discrete use of a persona to engage in activism to launch a wide-ranging
00:50commercial enterprise. In January 2026, outdoor apparel giant Patagonia filed a trademark infringement
00:56lawsuit against drag performer and climate activist Patagonia. The dispute began after
01:01Patagonia sought federal trademark protection for her brand across merchandise, speaking engagements,
01:06and marketing services. Patagonia argued that the name and branding were too similar to its own
01:11trademarks and could cause consumer confusion.
01:13They filed a lawsuit, like you said, for one dollar, but there's a bit of a caveat there that we'll
01:17talk
01:17about in a second. And they're trying to say, hey, stop doing this. Don't have a trademark title on
01:25Patagonia. Don't sell merch with this name. Let's try to resolve this in some way, shape, or form.
01:30Patagonia countered that her name was inspired by the Patagonia region of South America and accused
01:35the company of trying to erase her identity and activism. It started in 2018 when I put on a pair
01:40of high heels on a backpacking trip and created my drag persona, Patagonia, named after a region in
01:46South America called Patagonia, a name that predates both me and the clothing brand by 500 years.
01:53As of writing, both parties remain at an impasse. Patty offered to abandon the trademark application
01:59if Patagonia dropped the lawsuit, while the company insists she cease using the name commercially
02:04and stop selling branded merchandise.
02:06If this does become a full-fledged lawsuit, which there already is a federal filing as early as January
02:11of this year, and we go all the way towards some sort of negotiation or trial, this could be a
02:16million-dollar lawsuit for Patagonia, the person, and not that of the company.
02:20King Tyra vs. World of Wonder, RuPaul, and Michelle Visage
02:23My queen.
02:25Go, girl!
02:28Wear this crown with pride.
02:31The other Tyra is dead. Long live the new Tyra!
02:35Hardly any Drag Race alumni has had a relationship with the franchise quite as turbulent as season
02:40two winner King Tyra. In January 2026, Tyra announced plans to sue RuPaul, Michelle Visage,
02:47and production company World of Wonder, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress,
02:52defamation, and interference with their career.
02:54Michelle got hired season three, and on her press tour, at every stop, she made sure to say
03:01that she didn't think that I deserved to win, and that's where The Raven Was Robbed was created.
03:05Tyra claims that comments questioning their victory, ongoing public criticism, and the fallout
03:10from the infamous 2018 DragCon controversy contributed to years of harassment and professional
03:15isolation. The proposed lawsuit also references a viral clip of RuPaul slapping Tyra, which was
03:21reposted after they mocked the untimely passing of the Vivian.
03:25What about me? What about Tyra?
03:31Snap out of it!
03:33Pull yourself together, girl!
03:36Tyra argues this was used to reignite negative public sentiment against them. The claim seeks
03:41both compensatory and punitive damages. However, despite extensive public statements and a detailed
03:47draft complaint, it seems no formal lawsuit has been filed.
03:51Anything that I've asked to do, I haven't got. You don't see me featured on any of their web series
03:58or anything like that. I don't think that World of Wonder wanted me to win at all. I believe that
04:02RuPaul truly wanted me to win the show, but I don't think that World of Wonder wanted me to win.
04:07Puro Luka Vega versus the Philippines for Jesus movement.
04:10For people who don't necessarily experience the same situations or experiences that we have,
04:18the appreciation might be different, or maybe there's no appreciation at all.
04:25Impact opposition.
04:26Correct.
04:26What began as a Pride Month performance became one of the most controversial legal battles involving
04:31a drag artist in recent memory. In 2023, Filipino drag queen and Drag Den Season 1 contestant
04:37Pura Luka Vega faced criminal charges after performing a punk rock rendition of The Lord's Prayer
04:42while dressed in an outfit resembling Jesus Christ.
04:50The video of their performance went viral, drawing fierce condemnation from the Catholic
04:55Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and lawmakers nationwide.
04:58The Philippines for Jesus movement pressed charges, alleging that Pura had violated the
05:03Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
05:06My intention was never to mock. I also would not like to invalidate their feelings. If they feel
05:12hurt or they feel offended, it's their right to feel such.
05:15The charges targeted a law prohibiting performances that, quote,
05:18offend any race or religion, with a potential prison term of up to 12 years.
05:23Several local governments even declared the performer persona non grata.
05:27However, in June 2025, a Manila court acquitted Pura,
05:32finding insufficient grounds to hold the performer criminally libel.
05:35Drag has been really helpful for me to address social and personal trauma, I guess.
05:42It enabled me to really have a voice on certain topics and telling my story from my point of view.
05:51That's how powerful drag is to me.
05:54Mona Lisa Millian vs. Summer Bushnell
05:56This lawsuit became a major victory for both drag performers and victims of online defamation.
06:01The only reason this made news was because of the accusation one of the performers fully exposed
06:08themselves to the crowd, which included children. A blurred cell phone video supposedly censoring
06:13the exposure made the rounds online. Well, that video came from a North Idaho blogger.
06:17In 2024, Idaho drag queen Mona Lisa Millian lived up to her last name when she won more than
06:23$1.1 million in damages against blogger Summer Bushnell. The dispute stemmed from Bushnell's
06:28repeated claims on her blog and on social media that Mona had exposed her private parts to
06:33children during a Pride event in Coeur d'Alene in 2022.
06:36Why did no one arrest the man in a dress who flashed his genitalia
06:42to minors and people in the crowd? No one said anything about it? That's not okay. And there's video.
06:49Video evidence showed that the allegations were false. Mona argued that the accusations subjected her
06:55to harassment, damaged her employment opportunities, and severely affected her mental health.
06:59Mr. Posey was simply doing something he enjoyed in a beautiful place at an event that provided space
07:05for all people to share joy in who they are. Ms. Bushnell was not there, and ultimately her effort
07:10to hurt Mr. Posey was rejected by the Kootenay County community. After hearing the evidence, a jury unanimously
07:16sided with the drag performer, awarding her $926,000 in compensatory damages and an additional
07:22$250,000 in punitive damages. The verdict sent a powerful message about the consequences of spreading
07:29false accusations online. And I had read in the Associated Press that, you know, members of the
07:33jury were also asking, you know, can we can we ask the defendant to, you know, apologize? And the judge
07:40in the case said, well, no, that's not what this is about. This is a legal proceeding. Southern Utah drag
07:44stars versus the city of St. George. What happens when a city government tries to quietly block a drag
07:49show through bureaucratic maneuvering? They get sued and they lose. Southern Utah drag stars originally
07:55planned to have this event at the end of April at the Dixie Sun Bowl, but after having this win
08:01pausing their case, they rescheduled it for tonight on the last day of Pride Month. In May 2023, the
08:08LGBTQIA plus organization Southern Utah drag stars filed suit against the city of St. George after
08:14officials denied their special events permit for a family-friendly drag performance in a public park.
08:19The city rejected the permit, citing a little-used ban on advertising an event before it's approved.
08:24In his ruling, the judge had some criticism for city leaders, saying public officials are not
08:29permitted to make some decisions based on personal preferences or values. City leaders imposed a
08:35moratorium on new event permits and introduced restrictions that the performers argued were
08:39specifically designed to stop their show. Backed by the ACLU of Utah, the organization claimed its
08:45constitutional rights were being violated. A federal judge quickly agreed, issuing an injunction that
08:51allowed the event to proceed. Some residents gathered outside of the Sun Bowl in protest of the stars
08:56allowing and encouraging children to watch the performances. We can say, hey, we disagree with you,
09:03we still love you, we're here in love, but we've got to have these types of conversations. The city later
09:08admitted that its actions violated the group's First Amendment rights and issued a formal apology.
09:13In 2026, a judge ordered St. George to pay approximately $350,000 in legal fees to the organization.
09:21I almost wish they would sign their names and, you know, I could hang this on my wall as a
09:26win.
09:27I think it's very rare to get an apology from someone from something like this.
09:33So I had already been working. It's just the drag part came afterwards. And then once I did that
09:40one gig in drag, I never stopped working in drag. When Netflix dropped its animated series Q Force
09:46in 2021, drag performer Vicky Vox noticed something a little too familiar. According to court filings,
09:53a background character in the show featured several hair, makeup, and costume choices that
09:57were apparently too similar to Vicky's distinctive look.
09:59That's my job, daddy. Right? Anyway, don't let me keep you from your hollandaise. Just having a
10:06union meeting over here. Drag queens have a union? You've lived in Weehill so long and yet you know
10:11so little. She sued Netflix and the show's producers in 2023, bringing federal claims of unfair competition
10:18and false endorsement, alongside alleging that her rights of publicity had been violated.
10:23Netflix, however, responded that Q Force and the characters therein were expressive creative
10:27works protected by the First Amendment. Don't the police have better things to do
10:31than tow cars? That's business. Parking tickets pay to keep the lights on. Well, how am I supposed
10:37to get home? Just install Weeho's new scooter app, Scootloop. Gay people get their first mile free.
10:43Both the district court and later the Ninth Circuit sided with Netflix. The courts concluded that
10:48the brief appearance of a background character did not overcome the constitutional protections
10:52afforded to artistic expression. Like, if I'm minding my business, it's not that I'm not minding
10:59yours. Okay. Like, it's not personal. Right. I'm just minding my business. And I'm actually not
11:06thinking about you. Lexi Love trademark dispute. A name can be everything in drag. And for Drag Race
11:12season 17 finalist Lexi Love, her name became a legal nightmare. My name's Lexi Love and I put the
11:18whore in hormones. In August 2025, former adult film actress Selena Scola, who had reportedly
11:33performed under the name Lexi Love since 2004, sent cease and desist letters to the Queen, as well as
11:39RuPaul's Drag Race, Paramount, MTV, and World of Wonder. Well, she said, I've had a 20-year career and
11:45you're erasing it in this amount of time because when you search me, you only find you. And I said,
11:51wow, that speaks for your 20-year career. That doesn't speak for me. What followed was aggressive.
11:57Lexi's accounts on Cameo, Facebook, and X were suspended. Her debut single was pulled from
12:02streaming sites and she was forced to revert to her dead name on Instagram and TikTok to avoid
12:07suspension. I'm f***ing livid. What am I to do now? Like, how do I fix this? Like, I don't,
12:14there's no, oh my god. Lexi responded by filing a lawsuit accusing Scola of harassment and challenging
12:23the validity of her trademark registration. Scola then countersued all parties. In April 2026,
12:30a federal judge declined to grant Scola a preliminary injunction, ruling that it was unclear
12:34who first established rights to the name. The larger dispute, however, remains unresolved.
12:40I'm expecting to do that, to do my own trademark, to be able to open a business in my name
12:45after the
12:46trademark is good and after she shut up and then do a cease and desist as well to back me
12:50up in the
12:51future. There's like a laundry list. Shangela sexual assault lawsuits. The spot in the All-Stars Hall of
12:57Fame validates all the work that you've done, to me, if I feel. I want people to say, look at
13:02baby
13:02Shang, start it from the bottom, now we're here. Okay? Of all the entries on this list, few carry the
13:09gravity of the allegations surrounding Shangela. In May 2023, former We're Here production assistant
13:15Daniel McGarrigal filed a lawsuit accusing Shangela of supplying him with alcohol and sexually assaulting
13:20him. Shangela denied the allegations and production company Buckingham Television stated that its
13:25investigation did not find sufficient evidence to support the claims. I was gonna have to change my
13:30entire being. I felt helpless in that moment. I thought I'd ruined my drag career. The lawsuit
13:41was later dropped during mediation, with the parties reaching a settlement in early 2024. However,
13:47the controversy around Shangela intensified when Rolling Stone published allegations from five
13:51additional accusers. I hope she did not do it. But in the event that she did, you know, I hope
14:00justice prevails. I mean, one or two of them is the victim. Which one? That's for the courts to
14:06determine. Then, in February 2025, another civil lawsuit was filed by Eric Poff, who alleged that
14:13Shangela assaulted him while they were working on Hurricane Bianca from Russia with hate in 2017.
14:18Shangela denies the allegations, and a resolution in that case remains to be seen.
14:23When you temporarily left, you took your little goldfish. But you left your not quite fish with
14:28me. Now I've got bigger fish to fry. So Rex is yours again. What do you make of these lawsuits?
14:34Share your thoughts in the comments.
Comments