A North Texas drag show will now be restricted to adults following calls by a local activist organization to enforce a minimum age requirement.
As reported by The Dallas Express on Friday, LGBTQ group McKinney Pride planned to host an event on September 22 titled Drag: The Show, “where art, humor, and queerness collide.”
“Come be complicit while we destroy ‘American values’ with the time honored tradition of gender bending,” the event’s description quipped.
The organization initially did not set an age minimum, although it advised that the event was “[r]ecommended for Ages 21+.”
After attention was called to the fact that a new law banning anyone under 18 from “sexually oriented performances” would be in effect by the time of the event, McKinney Pride added an age restriction.
Now the event page stipulates the show will be reserved for “Ages 21+.” Additionally, the language about destroying American values has been removed.
Kelly Neidert, executive director of Protect Texas Kids, reacted to the change, telling The Dallas Express, “Adding an age restriction is the right thing to do, and I’m glad that McKinney Pride decided to make this change.”
“I hope that the restriction is actually enforced,” she added.
The Dallas Express reached out to McKinney Pride for clarification on why it decided to add an age restriction but did not receive a response before publication.
Neidert had previously explained that her group would likely protest the event if minors were going to be allowed to attend.
“I’m hoping that we can get them to add an age restriction, but if they don’t, then we are going to protest,” she said at the time.
The attendance of children is not the only aspect of drag shows that has been subject to debate, however. Some suggest the performances are degrading to women in addition to being inappropriate for children.
For instance, the pseudonymous essayist “Dr. Em” wrote for The Critic back in 2022 that “Drag at its core is misogynistic; it is men portraying women as sexually objectified caricatures. Drag performers frequently reduce women to hyper sexualised, big breasted, big haired bimbos.”
Others have defended drag, arguing that performing as the opposite gender is a form of artistic expression.
“It’s liberating. It’s freedom of expression. … We like to put on makeup, wigs, and we just like to entertain a crowd,” said local drag performer Emeka Bless in a previous interview with The Dallas Express.
Bless also defended the premise of allowing children to attend drag shows, arguing that the performances are not intended to be predatory or target children.
“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. … 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,” the performer shared.
