An upcoming all-ages LGBTQ Pride event in Austin is set to feature a “Drag Queen Story Time” for children.
The 2023 Austin Pride Celebration, the theme of which is “Keep Austin Queer’d,” is being sponsored by the University of Texas at Austin’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement to the tune of $5,000. Austin Community College (ACC), another taxpayer-funded entity, donated $3,500 to the event. It is scheduled for August 12.
“From attacks on our Drag community to the fight for trans rights… sometimes it feels that our community is getting pushed from all sides,” the event description reads. “When that happens, WE STAND OUR GROUND! And no matter what, one thing is for certain. We will KEEP AUSTIN QUEER’D!”
In addition to UT Austin and ACC, event sponsors include Coca-Cola, Petco, Bank of America, and Austin Subaru, among others.
The Dallas Express reached out to UT Austin, ACC, and the Austin Pride Foundation for comment but received no response by press time.
Local activist Kelly Neidert, whose organization Protect Texas Kids documents and protests “kid-friendly” drag shows, told The Dallas Express she finds it “extremely disturbing that Austin Pride is going out of their way to target children with a ‘drag queen story hour’ at their upcoming Pride celebration.”
“Taxpayer-funded institutions should never be sponsoring this garbage, but it’s not surprising that they are. Drag queen story hours aren’t affected by SB 12, so unfortunately they will likely keep happening,” Neidert said.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, SB 12 was passed by the Texas Legislature in May and subsequently signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. The legislation aims to protect children from “sexually oriented” performances, which can include drag shows.
SB 12 defines a sexually oriented performance as something that “appeals to the prurient interest in sex.” However, it does not necessarily restrict “drag queen story hours,” at least according to Neidert. The new law will go into effect on September 1.
In an interview with the Texas Scorecard, Texas Family Project President Brady Gray said, “Texas taxpayers will give UT Austin $858 million over the next two years. This means hard-working Texans are being forced to fund initiatives that go directly against their own morals.”
Despite the nationwide controversy that has arisen over children being present at drag performances, advocates claim that drag shows are an innocent form of entertainment and not inherently sexual.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Six Flags Over Texas hosted a drag show last month that allegedly had children in attendance, prompting protests outside the amusement park. Around the same time, the mayor of Arlington voiced support for “all ages” drag events.
Local drag performer Emeka Bless recently defended drag shows to The Dallas Express, claiming they can make LGBTQ children feel accepted.
“We’re just trying to give a safe haven for kids [who] feel that they’re gonna grow up gay, or feel like they are gay, or feel like they’re trans,” said Bless.
Still, activists on the other side of the debate argue drag performances are inherently sexual and inappropriate for children.
In a previous statement to The Dallas Express, Neidert said anyone who approves of children attending drag shows is “okay with children being sexualized … and exposing children to extremely sexual content.”
“LGBTQ pride events are inherently sexual and should never be open for children to attend,” she said. “This isn’t about a lifestyle; it’s about the sexualization of minors, and it is abhorrent.”
