15-05-2025
Who stole the "box truck in drag," Philly's Beardmobile
Be on the lookout for the gayest, most glittery box truck you've ever seen.
Why it matters: The Beardmobile, a souped-up performance vehicle that's been a staple at the Philly Pride Parade, was stolen in Mount Airy last month.
Driving the news: The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, a popular drag troupe, is circulating missing posters for the "box truck in drag," which was taken from the parking lot of the Allens Lane Art Center on April 18, the group's artistic founder, John Jarboe, tells Axios.
The group discovered the heist about a week ago, when members went to check on the Beardmobile ahead of upcoming events.
Threat level: Making off with a 14,000-pound, mustachioed, heart-filled work of art on wheels was no small feat.
Jarboe says the group was told by police the culprit(s) disabled a motion-sensor camera at the art center before lifting the box truck.
Yes, but: The Bearded Ladies still have hope — and are offering "10,000 lbs of glitter" as a reward for the Beardmobile's safe return.
Or, they joke, "We'll turn you gay! (If not already! Painless and fun!)"
What they're saying: The group tells Axios it won't press charges against whoever stole the Beardmobile — a la A.J. Brown.
"My hope is we do find her," Jarboe says. "It's got a whole lot of love and a lot of history."
Zoom in: The Beardmobile — a 2009 Isuzu custom built with a stage, sound system and pink eyelashes painted over its headlights — was a regular at protests and events around the city.
It symbolized the local LGBTQ community's "loud and proud" resistance to intolerance and hate, Jarboe says.
The bottom line: There's been no talk of replacing the box truck in drag. The Bearded Ladies can't go there.
