PLANO — An LGBTQ-themed outdoor festival held on Saturday in Plano was marked by a significant number of children on the grounds alongside grown men wearing pig and puppy masks.
“North Texas Pride Come As You Are Festival is a family-friendly celebration of pride in diversity,” the event description claimed. “The event includes Sponsor/vendor booths, food/beverages, give-a-ways, donations to a partnering non-profit … & adult and kid activities, bands, DJ, dancing and tons of entertainment for all ages.”
Another promotion read, “The Festival is an annual family-friendly fund-raising event designed to bring the community together.” Additionally, it noted, “Kids 12 & under get free admission when accompanied by an adult.”
Partners and financial supporters of the festival included the Dallas Voice, North Star Roofing, author Lyla Lee, Sexy Sisters Productions, Lifetime Windows & Siding, Toyota, Prism Health North Texas, Rainbow Realtors, Farmers Insurance, the Human Rights Campaign, and Planned Parenthood, among others.
Several churches also backed the event, including the Arapaho United Methodist Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, and the Affirming Disciples of Christ.
The host organization, North Texas Pride, “advocates unity, equality and community integration for LGBTQ and allies through forums and events that promote pride and self-acceptance, education and awareness, and social interaction,” according to the group’s website.
At the event, which was observed by The Dallas Express, children played in a bouncy house and were granted full access to the festival grounds, where grown men wearing pig-styled BDSM gear, puppy masks, and LGBTQ-themed apparel interacted with them.
Protesters from organizations such as Protect Texas Kids (PTK) picketed peacefully outside the festival grounds. The group shared a picture on social media showing “an obese they/them with a pig mask & tail standing next to [a] child.”
“We did hear today that at this year’s event, they’re not allowing any sort of drag shows to take place inside of the event,” Kelly Neidert, executive director of PTK, told The Dallas Express.
“So we’re really happy about that, but on the other hand, a lot of the other stuff at the vendor booths and some of the outfits that people are wearing mean that it’s still not a place for kids to be,” she said, explaining why her group turned out to protest.
“I saw a kid dressed up in one of the dog costumes earlier, and I’ve seen dozens of kids going in,” she said.
Counterprotesters voiced their opposition to Neidert and her cohort, with one holding a sign that read, “When you threaten my friends you threaten me.” The man holding the sign yelled at Neidert, calling her out by name.
The lack of drag performances at the event may have been a consequence of a new law passed by the Texas Legislature that prohibits “sexually oriented performances” from being held in the presence of minors. The law’s detractors claim it is meant to target drag performances and the LGBTQ community.
A federal judge recently put the law on hold while litigation over its constitutionality continues, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.