A vigil was held Wednesday night in Cardiff, Wales to mourn the loss of a drag queen convicted of raping a young boy.
Darren Moore was found dead on the evening of Sunday, January 22, on the streets of Cardiff City Centre. When found, Moore was wearing his full drag costume.
Police launched an investigation into Moore’s death, and subsequently arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of murder. The suspect has since been granted bail and released pending further inquiries from South Wales Police. Investigators have cautioned people against speculation, and have stated that there is no “obvious cause of death” that has yet been revealed or confirmed.
Media coverage of Moore’s death was largely focused on his career as a well-known drag queen and member of the Cardiff gay scene, with many outlets, including the Guardian, failing to note that he was also a convicted child sex offender.
As previously revealed by Reduxx, Moore was once known as Darren Sewell, and had been convicted of four counts of rape on a boy under the age of 14 while living in South Wales in 1999. As a result, he spent 3 years in a Young Offenders’ Institution. Following his offense, Moore was also banned from having contact with children.
But in 2011, he was caught working with youth as a gymnastics and dance instructor and was convicted of breaching the lifetime order. He was sentenced to a three-year sex offender’s treatment program, a 24-month supervision order, 300 hours of community service, and a six-month curfew with an electronic tag.
Despite Moore’s conviction, he went on to become a popular drag queen, performing under the names Crystal Couture, CC Quinn and Dolly.
In 2020, Moore exhibited his hand-made drag jewelry at RuPaul’s Dragcon in London. Two years prior, Moore had been booked to represent British Airways at a Pride festival in Brighton. The company would later distance themselves from him after discovering his past, and clarified part of the reason why they were unaware was due to his name change.
Following Moore’s death, there was an outpouring of grief amongst some in Cardiff’s LGBT community.
The Golden Cross, Wales’ oldest bar catering to gay men, issued a statement on Twitter expressing sadness over Moore’s loss, writing: “We are deeply saddened to learn of Darren Moore’s passing … Many of you will know of his longstanding support of the Golden. He was the life and soul of the party and would always be entertaining the masses, usually accompanied with a round of shots.”
The statement appears to have since been deleted.
On January 25, dozens of mourners gathered at Windsor Place to pay their respects to Moore. Amongst them were fellow drag queens and members of Cardiff’s gay community.
According to two men at the vigil who were interviewed by the BBC, Moore was very well-known and “liked by everyone.”
Another drag queen told the BBC that Moore’s death was cause for wider concern. Myky Webb, who performs under the drag name Sister Celia, appeared to speculate that it may have been a hate crime.
“It’s also very worrying for Cardiff as a city and for queer people in Cardiff on the scene, to think that this kind of thing still happens in 2023,” Webb said.
Just after Moore’s death was announced, the founder of Drag Queen Story Hour UK, Sab Samuel, rallied his supporters to donate to a GoFundMe to support Moore’s funeral costs and husband.
Samuel, who performs under the name Aida H. Dee, is one of the country’s most prominent drag queens. Samuel routinely reads to children in public libraries and other family-friendly venues while dressed in full drag. Just weeks before Moore’s passing, Samuel announced he was going to be reading to children at the Tate gallery in London.
On Facebook, Samuel grieved over Moore’s death, calling him a “friend,” and posting multiple heartfelt tributes to him.
In one post, Samuel revealed Moore had crafted him jewelry, including the “ADHD” necklace he is often seen wearing in official Drag Queen Story Hour photos. Based on the styling, Moore was also likely the creator of another piece of jewelry Samuel often wears, a statement necklace reading “PEACE” he most often pairs with his characteristic rainbow costume.
Samuel posted multiple times in support of Moore, and repeatedly directed readers to a GoFundMe created by Moore’s husband.
“Taken unjustly! I’d like to help give my friend the send off he deserves. Please see the link below. This is to support the husband in this horrible horrible time,” Samuel wrote, posting a photo of Moore and his husband, whose name is also Darren Moore.
The GoFundMe, which had an initial goal of £3,000 (approx. $3,700 USD), is currently sitting at just over £6,500 (approx. $8,000 USD), and has received donations from almost 300 people.
Moore’s husband has vocally defended him in light of the revelations of his history of sexual abuse. On January 24, Moore’s husband took to Facebook live to issue a 7-minute statement in which he targeted “media outlets” who mentioned Moore’s past.
“If any of you have a bad word to say against my husband, then just go and crawl under the fucking stone you came from. Darren was the most kind-hearted person you could ever fucking meet. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” Moore’s husband says.
“Everyone who loved him now needs to grieve. They don’t need to know about his past. None of you know the ins-and-outs, and none of you are squeaky clean. You can’t tell me any of you have a clean slate. Because each and every one of you who slag him off — you have a past too. And you do not have a clean record.”
Investigations into Moore’s death are still ongoing.
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