A student marching band seemingly affiliated with Dallas ISD participated in a local LGBTQ Pride parade that featured “drag queen nuns” and nearly naked men wearing “pup” masks.
During the September 17 “Pride in Dallas” parade, a group of “pups” walked directly behind a student marching band. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of drag performers who dress like Catholic nuns, also marched in the parade.
Protect Texas Kids (PTK) Executive Director Kelly Neidert told The Dallas Express that a member of PTK was present at the parade and saw the students.
“There were several Dallas ISD buses there,” she said. “I couldn’t tell which school it was. … But after the parade, they were getting into the Dallas ISD [school] buses.”
Neidert said the marching band was followed in the parade by members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and men dressed as “pups.”
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The “pup community” comprises LGBTQ individuals who wear dog masks and define their sexual identity in terms of power dynamics and BDSM.
“Right after the students went, the next group that marched through was all of those guys wearing the pup masks,” Neidert told The Dallas Express. “There were a ton of them. A lot of them were not wearing much clothing.”
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The “pups” can be seen carrying a banner for “DFW PAHS,” which stands for the Dallas-Fort Worth Pups & Handlers Society, a local LGBTQ advocacy organization.
Neidert said the “pups” were followed by members of the Cathedral of Hope church — the same church that hosted a “Drag Sunday” service to “bless” the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, as reported by The Dallas Express. The service was held the same day as the Pride in Dallas parade.
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Neidert said the Cathedral of Hope contingent also included children.
“Right behind them, there were the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” she continued.
As reported by The Dallas Express, the Sisters have been described by some as an “anti-Catholic hate group.”
In a previous statement to The Dallas Express, Catholic public speaker Trent Horn claimed that the Sisters “mock what is sacred to over a billion people through their cartoonish depictions of nuns and by hosting events like ‘Hunky Jesus’ contests.”
“Those who claim to be inclusive and respectful towards all faiths likewise shouldn’t celebrate the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” he said.
However, Rev. Neil G. Thomas told The Dallas Express that the Sisters promote a positive message for the LGBTQ community and devote themselves to charity work, including helping the homeless and gay men afflicted with AIDS.
Neidert also told The Dallas Express that the Pride in Dallas parade featured “several floats with drag queens.”
“A lot of the people that were just attending [were] also not wearing very many clothes,” she added. “It definitely did not seem like a very kid-friendly event and definitely wasn’t something that Dallas ISD should have had students participating in.”
Neidert told The Dallas Express there appeared to be “a few hundred people” at the parade, estimating 15-20% were minors.
A local drag performer who goes by the name Emeka Bless previously told The Dallas Express that there is nothing wrong with children attending performances like drag shows.
“We’re just trying to give a safe haven for kids [who] feel that they’re going to grow up gay, or feel like they are gay, or feel like they’re trans,” he said. “It’s not all about what you see in the media. We’re not after your kids or anything like that. We’re just here to support everybody.”
A Texas law that would have prohibited “sexually oriented performances” from being held in the presence of minors was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge on Tuesday, as reported by The Dallas Express. Many of the law’s detractors have claimed the law targets drag performers. More information on the recent ruling can be found here.
