A group of activist drag queens dressed as Marilyn – and one Eva Peron – joined the climate struggle this week, singing ‘Happy Summit, Mr. President’ to life-size cutouts of participating world leaders as this year’s Summit of the Americas came to Los Angeles, as News24 reports. (The call to action was organised by non-profit campaigning group Avaaz – you can watch video of the demonstration here.)
“Targets included US President Joe Biden, who was implored to pass legislation that would limit climate damage, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was dubbed a ‘proud Amazon destroyer.’
They took turns singing ‘Happy Summit, Mr President’ – a variation on the screen siren’s most famous musical turn, when she serenaded then-president John F. Kennedy on his birthday. ‘The message is to wake up, truly,’ said Mischa Kinx, who was wearing blonde curls and a copy of the white dress made famous by Monroe in 1955’s The Seven Year Itch.
‘We’re talking about a gigantic forest in South America, we’re talking about one of the most important ecosystems on the planet,’ Kinx said. ‘And with someone in charge who is not aware of that responsibility, then it’s our job to wake (Bolsonaro) up.’ Bolsonaro is a particular target of environmentalists who say he is exploiting and destroying the Amazon, a crucial sink for the planet’s carbon emissions.”
The Marilyn Report 