(Texas Scorecard) – With Texas’ law banning sexualized performances in front of children on hold in the courts, a drag show was hosted in Dallas.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Tour was hosted at the Music Hall in Fair Park on Friday. The website—advertising the event—did not say whether or not there was an age restriction, but it has been reported that the venue’s staff were not checking IDs and children were seen inside the show.
“Step into the Werk Room this Summer and get ready to experience this season unfolding live on stage! Join us on a journey through the high kicks and low splits of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars!” reads the website.
Video footage captured by Sara Gonzales and posted by Texas Family Project showed at least one presumably underage child with their mother at the show. Other young people, who also appeared to be underaged, were present at the show.
During the performance, performers can be heard saying, “My [expletive] is burning,” “Y’all sucked the good [expletive] for these seats,” and “Look at you with your big [expletive].”
Additionally, performers could be seen dancing provocatively to sexualized music and wearing very minimal clothing. Most of the performers’ buttocks were seen hanging out of their outfits while dancing in front of the crowd.
“Last night I attended an all-ages drag show in Dallas, TX that featured grown men twerking in thongs, songs about [expletive], and routines you’d find in a strip club,” wrote Gonzales on X. “Numerous minors were in attendance. This is child abuse.”
President of Texas Family Project Brady Gray told Texas Scorecard that the Texas legislature needs to take action to keep Texas children from attending these hyper-sexualized shows.
“Texas children continue to be preyed upon by the most vile and perverse among us. We are in a war for the soul of America and for our children’s future,” said Gray. “While I applaud the legislature’s attempt to stop this in the 88th session they fell short and we must solve this issue for good in the 89th. The first step in that process is to ensure that legislators who oppose regulations on these perversions do not hold powerful chairmanship positions.”
During the 88th Legislative Session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 12—which would prohibit sexually-oriented performances in front of minors. However, after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure into law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the state to halt it from taking effect.
A federal judge ruled in favor of the ACLU and granted a permanent injunction against enforcing the new law, preventing violators from being subjected to fines of up to $10,000 per offense.
Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the case to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and submitted a motion to stay the injunction. However, the appellate court has not yet ruled on the case.