On September 17, the North Texas Pride Foundation held its 11th annual “Come as You Are” pride festival, which was billed as a “family-oriented day of fun.” General admission tickets for adults were priced at $10, while the event prominently advertised that children 12 and younger were admitted for free.

The event was hosted in a City of Plano venue, as well as advertised on the VisitPlano website, which is “the official destination management and marketing organization for the City of Plano and is completely funded by the Hotel Occupancy Tax.”

The “family-oriented” event featured a mobile STD-testing van, a drag show for children, and many vendors selling sexualized merchandise, such as one selling magnets featuring slogans such as “Dick+Ass,” “Suck! F**k! Repeat!,” and “Anal Queen.”

A group of citizens showed up at the event to protest what was happening.

Ali Jamal, a political activist, filmed these protesters apparently being harassed by a female attendee who allegedly made several attempts to grab his genitals.

When the protesters asked her to back away, the woman coughed in their direction and chided, “I have COVID! I have AIDS! You’re getting my AIDS!”

Participants in attendance at the “family-oriented” festival also performed a mock exorcism in front of a police officer and screamed obscenities.

The Dallas Express reached out to Plano City Manager Mark Israelson, as well as Mayor John Muns and each member of the city council for comment on this story.

Steve Stoler, director of media relations for the City of Plano, responded to our requests by email:

“The 11th annual ‘Come as You Are’ Pride Festival was not a City of Plano event. Like many private events held in our community, it was held at a City venue. Festival organizers went through the City’s Special Event process to secure the venue. In this case it was the Saigling House, located at Haggard Park. The Saigling House is owned by the city, but operated by the ArtCentre of Plano.”

Stoler concluded, “During the event, the immediate area around the historic house was fully fenced. Access was restricted to event attendees who purchased tickets. It is common practice for the City to allow our diverse community to hold events at our venues.”

The Dallas Express also reached out to Collin County state representatives Jeff Leach, Scott Sanford, and Matt Shaheen for comment on the event and the City of Plano’s hosting of the event. Only Shaheen responded.

“I see serious moral, ethical, and legal concerns with the September 17th event that occurred in a Plano Park by the North Texas Pride Foundation. Children twelve years of age and under were targeted and were recklessly exposed to obscene materials with alarming sexual content and transgenders conducting themselves in sexually inappropriate ways,” Shaheen wrote.

Shaheen went on, “Federal, state and locally elected officials are involved to assure parents that everything will be done to protect Texas children from being sexualized in this manner.”

Shaheen mentioned, “We are in discussions with city officials requesting a thorough investigation of this appalling event. We have also asked for meetings with the executives of corporate sponsors to express our outrage and demand change. The sexualization of children will not be tolerated.”