Arlington Pride hosted an all-ages event at Levitt Pavillion on June 8, and it seemed to draw criticism from many quarters.
Multiple organizations sponsored the event, including Frank Kent Cadillac of Arlington, AMM Political Strategies, Charles Schwab, Lockheed Martin, and the Help Center for LGBT Health and Wellness, which offered free HIV testing, according to the Arlington Pride website.
“We believe in a world where all people are free to express their sexual orientation and gender identity with pride,” the Arlington Pride website states.
The event has garnered blowback from users online, particularly over the sexual content on display in front of children.
“Arlington, TX ‘family-friendly all-ages’ pride fest featured d*Id0s, s*x toys, women flashing their b*easts, drag queens, people walking around in b*nd*ge gear, and merch with the word c**t proudly displayed for kids,” Libs of TikTok posted on X. The tweet included a video from the event, which was recorded by the Texas Family Project.
(Warning: Contains Graphic Content)
Arlington, TX “family-friendly all-ages” pride fest featured d*Id0s, s*x toys, women flashing their b*easts, drag queens, people walking around in b*nd*ge gear, and merch with the word c**t proudly displayed for kids.
🎥 @SaraGonzalesTX pic.twitter.com/G83MvtDwL1
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 9, 2024
The event, according to the X video, had vendor booths with dildos, vibrators, and hand fans emblazoned with the word “C**T.” Additionally, drag queen performers present at the event wore provocative clothing that exposed their buttocks.
One of the drag performers, Alyssa Edwards, has been known for competing in drag pageantry, including “Miss Gay America” in 2010.
Also in attendance were members of the DFW Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group whose members dress like nuns and use drag and religious imagery to satirize issues of morality. The group has been described by a prominent Catholic leader as “an anti-Catholic hate group,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“We believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty, and we use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit,” the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence website states.
Arlington resident Kathi Arocha questioned why such an event would allow minors to attend.
“Why is it okay for children, young babies, to be placed in an environment to experience sexually explicit items, nakedness, and erotic dancing at a young age? What is the purpose of that?” Arocha told DX.
Rosalie Escobedo, the director of the Tarrant County Chapter of Citizens Defending Freedom, was also critical of the event.
“The details that were exposed regarding the all-ages Arlington Pride event were horrific and pedophilic,” Escobedo said to DX.
However, others expressed their approval of the event as a safe place to express their “true colors.”
“A lot of us don’t go out with our true colors. It’s very dangerous, unfortunately, in our time where we’re at. It’s a place where we don’t have to worry about kissing in public,” attendee Max Wood told the Fort Worth Report.
At the Dallas Pride event held on June 1, the DX saw several parents in attendance with their young children despite an abundance of sexually explicit merchandise on display by vendors. Some booths were selling hand fans emblazoned with phrases such as “MAKE ME C*M AGAIN,” “B****y,” “HE/HIM/HOLE,” “DADDY,” and “C**T.” Other items available for sale included magnets depicting female breasts and buttocks and aprons printed with a picture of a naked man covering his genitals with a black hat.
DX‘s reached out to Arlington Pride for comment but did not receive a response.
