Oregon man called for jury duty, turns up to court in drag: “Not illegal”

A man in Oregon who was called up for jury duty decided to liven things up by going to court dressed in drag.

Comedian, actor and host Kyle Prosen has made quite a name for himself under the guise of his drag queen persona, Poly Poptart.

Since 2020, Prosen has also garnered attention for his impression of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, which he describes as a “product of boredom during the pandemic.” “I’ve hosted entire shows in character as Sarah Palin and done stand up comedy sets as her,” he said.

But while the occasional stand-up show or guest appearance is one thing, Prosen never imagined he would one day be heading to court in Oregon dressed in drag as the former Republican vice presidential pick.

“The night before, I was at my friend Josh’s house watching TV, and he mentioned that I should go to jury duty the next day in drag,” Prosen said.

He said he initially laughed off the suggestion telling his friend: “Yeah, if I would, I would do Sarah Palin.” However, his friend was adamant it was “such a good idea that he wouldn’t let it go.”

Prosen, who has performed countless times as Poly Poptart, eventually relented, but decided if he was going to do it, he was going to do it properly. “Commitment to the bit is my middle name and I say it often,” Prosen said.

The next day he woke at 5:30 a.m. and got himself into his drag outfit, admitting it “fit a little more snugly” than he remembered. Prosen was keen to document the experience, so he had a camera on hand throughout, with the resulting clip posted to his Poly Poptart TikTok account.

In the video, Prosen explains that he had checked and it was “not illegal” to dress in drag for jury duty. “My friend is a judge, and I asked him if dressing up in drag was against the law. As much as I’m committed to the bit, I’m also painfully risk averse,” Prosen said.

‘Guidance on Etiquette’

A spokesperson for the Oregon Judicial Department told Newsweek: “To help ensure that court facilities remain a space of respect and safety, Oregon’s state courts provide guidance on etiquette. Jurors are encouraged to dress comfortably – suits and ties or dresses are not required – and should wear clothes that are clean and do not display foul language, insults, or other negative words. Court rules note the expectation that, ‘All persons attending court … must be dressed so as not to detract from the dignity of court.'”

Walking towards the courthouse and waiting in line, Prosen might have expected his appearance to generate some strong reactions. However, he said the response was negligible.

“It was interesting seeing people’s reactions,” he said. “Portland is very non-confrontational and obsessed with being politically correct. I think people were too professional to want to comment on how someone shows up for civic service. That, or it was just too early to deal with another Portland weirdo’s antics.”

In the end, the court dismissed all of the jurors who were given a number above 110 and Prosen was in the 130s. “The whole day was underwhelming,” he said. “I sat through all the jury things, and was hoping to get at least interviewed by someone, but they didn’t even get to my juror number.”

It was only later, when he posted his video to TikTok, that the biggest reactions were seen. At the time of writing it had been watched close to 700,000 times, with viewers full of praise for Prosen’s antics.

“I was not prepared for Sarah Palin,” one viewer wrote. “I would absolutely do jury duty with you!!! How fun!” a second commented, with a third adding: “You still dressed nicer than 99% of the people I was on the jury with when I did Jury Duty. I was the only one that got the business casual memo.”

“I always learn something about America when I have a post go viral,” Prosen said. “What people are stressed out by, or impressed by. The emotions or fears or burdens they carry. After this, I learned that people were desperate to release some of the political stress they have carried this election season.”

Prosen admits he was “a little scared” that Poly Poptart’s antics would reach “extremist” corners of the internet. Drag events have drawn criticism from some quarters. Last year, GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, highlighted 161 incidents of anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting drag events since early 2022.

Thankfully there was no backlash. In fact, his experience that day has give him “a little more faith” in the idea of America as the land of the free.

“As much as I played a joke during the video, my day at jury duty was actually very empowering, and gave me a lot of hope in the American legal system, of democracy, and American freedom,” Prosen said. “We, as citizens, get to show up how we want or are, and decide cases. The law should apply to everyone, and the law should be able to be interpreted by the average American system.”

Prosen hasn’t ruled out doing it again, though possibly as Poly Poptart next time rather than Sarah Palin.