Large crowds gathered in Arlington this weekend to watch “female impressionists” dance and sing in front of an audience that included children as young as toddlers.
Arlington Pride was hosted at the Levitt Pavilion, located directly across the street from the city hall and a short distance away from the University of Texas at Arlington.
The event was open to all ages, and many of the men performing repeatedly called attention to the presence of young children in the audience.
Kiana Lee, one of the participants, told all of the children to stand up. Several of the other people came down off the stage and moved among the crowd, dancing close to the young kids present.
Luke Chacko addressed the event at one point, saying, “We need to make sure everyone here is protecting our Arlington trans kids.”
The event’s DJ, Al Farb, seconded the sentiment, adding, “We have to do everything we can to protect our trans kids and vote these people out.”
Laws recently passed in Texas may soon make events like Arlington Pride illegal. Senate Bill 12, currently awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature, would penalize business owners who “allow a sexually oriented performance to be presented on the premises in the presence of an individual younger than 18 years of age.”
Defenders of the practice argue that there is no sexual component and that performing as the opposite gender is a form of artistic expression.
One supporter, Rori Porter, has blamed opponents for sexualizing drag, claiming in a 2022 blog post, “Drag is as varied as any other art form, and the vast majority of it isn’t sexualized — particularly when the target audience isn’t adults. … The drag we share with children is exclusively wholesome.”
During Arlington Pride, Sapphire Davenport likewise defended the practice, saying, “Whether you like drag or not, it’s here.”
“We deserve love too. We deserve respect too,” Davenport continued, eliciting cheers and “gay-mens” from the crowd.
Several protestors gathered outside of the event grounds and used megaphones to call for participants to repent. One group of Catholic demonstrators held up rosaries and prayed Hail Marys over the event.
One group of attendees walked by these demonstrators and shouted, “Woohoo for child drag shows!”
Some feminist critics have denounced drag as degrading to women. The pseudonymous essayist ‘Dr Em,’ for instance, argued in The Critic in 2022, “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.”
“These men build their careers off of the tools of female oppression — gender stereotypes and sexual objectification — and re-entrench them in performances where they are portrayed as just a laugh and a lark,” Dr Em continued.
Many of the biographies provided of the men in drag at Arlington Pride highlighted drag as “female impersonation” and called attention to ongoing legislative efforts to restrict drag in the presence of minors.
Sapphire Tailar’s biography claimed, “Sapphire has been participating in the art form of female impersonation for 7 years. For the last 4 years they have been a High School band director by day and Drag queen by night.”
Caress Riata’s biography identified the performer as an “activist, philanthropist, mentor, entertainer and artist” who has “used her voice and celebrity to promote the advancement of LGBTQA laws. AND NOW, her rallying cry is Drag is NOT A CRIME.”
Other spotlighted participants included Kiana Lee, Tara St. Stone, Sapphire Davenport, Nia Courtland, and several members of Theatre Arlington.
The title sponsor of Arlington Pride was Frank Kent Cadillac of Arlington. Other sponsors included Gilead, AMM Political Strategies, Maxor National Pharmacy Services, The Honey Bee Foundation, 1851 Club, Arlington CVB, Charles Schwab, Chase Bank, UTA, Downtown Arlington Management, Dallas Voice, and Walgreens.