Tara Lipsyncki: Trailblazing Transgender Activist, Author, and Performer
Table of Contents
Early Life and Career
Activism and Advocacy
Recent Work in Utah
Honors and Recognition
Proud Boys and Bomb Threats
Looking Ahead
Early Life and Career
Tara Lipsyncki (they/them) was born in 1985 in a small town in Utah. From a young age, Tara enjoyed performance art and competed in figure skating competitions. According to an interview with Out Utah, Tara realized they were transgender in their teenage years but kept it private due to the conservative views in their community.
After high school, Tara moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a career in professional skating. They skated with Disney on Ice for several years, traveling the world and entertaining crowds. During this time, Tara began openly identifying as transgender and living authentically.
In 2010, Tara relocated to San Francisco and started performing in drag shows and cabarets. Drag provided Tara a creative outlet to express their non-binary identity. According to the Bay Area Reporter, Tara quickly made a name for themselves in San Francisco's drag scene with their blend of skating skills and lip-sync performances.
Activism and Advocacy
Since beginning their transition in the early 2000s, Tara Lipsyncki has been a vocal advocate for transgender rights and inclusion. They have published hundreds of interviews, articles, and panels on issues like anti-trans legislation, drag history, and LGBTQ+ rights.
According to a profile in the San Francisco Chronicle, some of Tara's advocacy work includes:
Testifying at the California state legislature on bills supporting transgender youth in sports and access to gender-affirming care.
Organizing a protest outside Facebook headquarters over the platform's "real name" policy that disproportionately impacted drag performers. Facebook eventually changed its policy after months of protest.
Serving on the advisory board of the San Francisco LGBTQ+ Community Center, helping expand transgender programming.
Partnering with the ACLU of Northern California to publish a report on discrimination and violence faced by transgender individuals.
Tara believes in fighting for justice and inclusion through a combination of community organizing, grassroots activism, and public education. Their advocacy works has reached millions of Americans.
Recent Work in Utah
In 2019, Tara returned to their home state of Utah to continue their advocacy work in a socially conservative region. According to interviews with QSaltLake Magazine, Tara wanted to bring more diverse representation of the LGBTQ+ community to Utah.
Since moving to Salt Lake City, Tara's accomplishments include:
Founding member of ARTEL, Utah's first collective of queer artists comprised primarily of people of color and transgender individuals.
Establishing the United Drag Alliance, a non-profit providing financial assistance to struggling Utah drag performers. Tara currently serves as the organization's President.
Publishing their first children's book, Letter From The Queen, telling a story of a young transgender girl finding acceptance.
Opening a new queer bookstore and performance venue in Provo, just minutes from Brigham Young University. The venue will host drag shows, author events, and other programs supporting the local LGBTQ+ community.
Honors and Recognition
Tara's activism and performance work have earned numerous honors over the past decade. Some highlights include:
Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate in 2018 for the show Drag Queens on Ice.
Named Miss Gay Pride in Salt Lake City in 2021.
Won Miss Gay USofA Newcomer West Coast in 2021 pageant.
Received the Equality Utah Allies Council Award in 2022 for their advocacy work in the state.
Featured in the docuseries Legendary on HBO Max, showcasing ballroom performers.
Proud Boys and Bomb Threats
Tara Lipsynck, was scheduled to read stories to children at an event called "Drag Storytime" at the King's English bookshop on September 24, 2022. However, the event was canceled after the bookstore received a bomb threat. The Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, took credit for the threat and protested outside the bookstore that day. They opposed the drag storytime event and vowed to continue protesting drag events in Utah.
This was not the first clash between Lipsyncki and the Proud Boys. In August 2022, she had performed a drag show and the Proud Boys showed up to protest that event too, yelling homophobic and transphobic slurs. The drag show was able to go on as planned despite the protests.
Lipsyncki has spoken up about the threats and harassment, saying she refuses to back down in the face of hate. Local LGBTQ advocates have also supported Lipsyncki and condemned the threats against the drag events.
Looking Ahead
As they enter their 40s, Tara remains as passionate as ever about using performance art and activism to advance LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion. According to recent social media posts, they are working on a memoir about their experiences as a transgender person. Tara also continues to advocate against anti-trans legislation being considered in states like Utah and Texas. After decades on the frontlines, Tara Lipsyncki remains committed to uplifting queer voices and serving their community.
—This article was written, restructured, or adapted by Russell with information gathered from sources around the internet. Russell is the producer of Amber Live and is greatly overworked to pull it all together. If it’s on the internet, it must be true. (We’re kidding.) BUT, if you find any errors or omissions in the article, please let us know so that we may correct the issue. Thanks for your support!
