It’s been two years since the death of legendary drag artist Heklina, and friends, fans and loved ones still have no answers. Now they’re taking matters into their own hands by protesting the Metropolitan Police’s handling (or lack thereof) of the investigation, accusing the force of institutionalized homophobia.
In April 2023, San Francisco drag queen Heklina (whose name was Steven/Stefan Grygelko) was found dead in a London apartment. She and her flatmate, fellow drag queen Peaches Christ, were in town to put on a production of their show Mommie Queerest.
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As a result, the investigation of the death falls under the jurisdiction of London’s Metropolitan (the Met) Police. In January, the Met made two CCTV videos public that shows three men leaving Heklina’s apartment, but next of kin say the investigation has otherwise stalled.
“When Heklina died, there was no public appeal for witnesses and it’s taken them two years to release the CCTV footage,” queer activist Peter Tatchell told the BBC. “They’re not treating the death of a significant member of our community seriously, they’ve not done the basics of any proper investigation,” Tatchell added.
On Monday, friends, loved ones and drag community members protested the Met’s handling of the investigation in a march from Big Ben to New Scotland Yard. Speakers, according to PinkNews, included Peaches Christ, Tatchell, Drag Race stars Crystal and Cheddar Gorgeous.
“Heklina was one of my oldest and closest friends,” Peaches told the crowd. “We were family and finding her dead in London was truly traumatizing, but it has only been made worse by the complete lack of attention from the Met Police. For nearly two years, myself and Heklina’s next of kin have been ignored. Only when I went to the media was there a response.
“Queer people deserve to be treated fairly and equally and we demand change.”
One month before Heklina’s death, Baroness Casey released the findings of a year-long review of the Met Police’s culture and standards, following the murder of Sarah Everard by a police officer. Her report concluded that the Met Police is institutionally homophobic, racist, and misogynistic.
In response to the protests, Met Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah said they are aware of “frustration with the pace of the police investigation”.
“We continue to examine all lines of inquiry in relation to Steven’s death and remain steadfast in our determination to establish the facts.”
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