A venue in Fort Worth has put the brakes on all-ages drag shows after the landlord reportedly saw a video of a March 27 performance at the site.
The “Sips & Quips” event was billed as a trivia and drag show, with “all ages welcome.” It was held at the Tulips Fort Worth, a “midsized music venue” that serves as “a home for music, art, [and] culture.”
The landlord for Tulips Fort Worth announced that there would no longer be any all-ages drag shows at the venue from this point on, according to Texas Scorecard.
This video is what reportedly compelled the building’s owner to cancel the drag shows. The video clip, captured by independent journalist Tayler Hansen, shows drag artists parading in leotards and showgirl-style costumes and children being urged by their parents to hand money to the performers.
At one point, the camera zooms in on the crotch of one of the artists seated onstage on a stool. The drag performer appears to have a possible wardrobe malfunction or “spillage” out of the costume. It is unclear whether the exposed crotch was noticeable to the audience.
The performer told the crowd that Sara Gonzales, executive director of Defend Our Kids Texas, was barred from attending the event for the purpose of videotaping it as an expose, something she has done at previous all-ages drag show events.
The stated mission of Defend Our Kids Texas is “to expose attacks on our children’s innocence by uncovering and highlighting the left’s public displays of sexual degeneracy,” according to the organization’s website.
The performer said in the video that the LGBTQ attendees applied pressure that led to Gonzales being denied entrance to the venue.
“We have to defend our rights, and we’re progressing back to a time where we weren’t allowed to be who we are,” the performer said. The performer also suggested that people should be concerned about “more important matters,” such as the surge in school shootings.
The performer was evidently not aware that a journalist was recording the event.
The Dallas Express covered a protest that occurred outside the Tulips venue during the March 27 show. At the time, Jason Suder, the business owner, said the venue often hosts all-ages music events, but no one under the age of 16 can enter without being accompanied by a parent.
“We let the parents decide whether it is or is not appropriate for their children,” Suder said at the time.
Opponents of the all-ages drag shows celebrated the landlord’s decision to ban the events.
“This victory would not have happened if not for passionate and concerned citizens and parents taking action,” Austin Griesinger, executive director of the Texas Family Project, told Texas Scorecard.
Two bills regarding drag shows in the presence of minors passed at the committee level in the Texas Senate in late March, according to The Dallas Morning News.
One bill — Senate Bill 12 — criminalizes the exhibition of males or females as the opposite sex in front of minors, while the other one — Senate Bill 1601– would cut off funds to libraries that allow drag performers to read books to children when “the person being dressed as the opposite gender is a primary component of the entertainment.”