Dallas County Health and Human Services promoted and participated in a recent LGBTQ Pride festival that came under scrutiny for potentially exposing minors to “obscene content,” and District Attorney John Creuzot has yet to address the collaboration publicly.
The Texas Latinx Pride Fest, held on September 16, was billed as open to “all ages.” It had grown men in attendance dressed in speedos, and vendors sold sex-themed merchandise like BDSM gear and penis- and vagina-shaped ice cream treats.
Dallas County Health and Human Services advertised the event, noting that it would administer monkeypox vaccines there and distribute $25 gift cards to people who got inoculated. Additionally, the department provided a link to get tickets, telling people to “register for the festival.”
At the event, attendees defended the festival, stressing nothing was wrong with it. Dallas Voice marketing specialist Matthew Dominguez told The Dallas Express, “I think that events like this really show that we are still here. We are still people. And we still want to have fun and be treated just like everyone else.”
However, Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) expressed concern that the presence of children at the event might have violated Texas law, as reported by The Dallas Express.
In a letter to the Dallas City Council, Police Chief Eddie Garcia, and District Attorney John Creuzot, Shaheen outlined several potential violations of law under §43 of the Texas Penal Code, which pertains to public indecency, and urged officials to investigate the matter.
“I believe children were harmed at this event in violation of the Texas Penal Code,” he claimed. “Children were present and witnessed disgusting, obscene content that shows individuals committing offenses described in Section 43 of the Texas Penal Code.”
Shaheen said, “[I]t is a Class A misdemeanor for a person to display harmful material to a minor if the person is reckless about whether a minor is present who would be offended or alarmed by the display.”
“Simply glancing at one of the many images of the event shows that the event appealed to the sexual, prurient interest of a minor,” he claimed. “The images, as well, show that the event was patently offensive in nature to prevailing standards in Dallas and Texas.”
“Lastly, there is zero social value that minors can possibly receive watching grown men parade around in BSDM underwear,” Shaheen added.
It has been roughly one week since Shaheen sent the letter. Creuzot has not publicly acknowledged receipt of Shaheen’s request to investigate nor announced that his office is looking into whether any laws were broken during the festival. The Dallas Express reached out for comment but did not receive a response before press time.
Creuzot has previously received criticism for selectively adopting non-prosecution policies. For example, he previously announced a non-prosecution policy for thefts between $100 and $750. However, following pushback from law enforcement and community members, Creuzot reversed course.
Similarly, Creuzot adopted a non-prosecution policy pertaining to abortion. To date, he has not publicly announced an end to the policy, meaning he could possibly face removal from office due to a new Texas law, as reported by The Dallas Express.