Democratic Texas Representative Rafael Anchía, whose district includes parts of Dallas, Irving, and Carrollton, recently asked for a list of “kid-friendly drag shows,” so he could take his children to go see them.
Senate Bill 12, which would prohibit drag shows from allowing minors to attend, is being considered in the Texas House after being approved by the Texas Senate, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
During a Wednesday hearing, Protect Texas Kids Executive Director Kelly Neidert testified in favor of SB 12 before the House Committee on State Affairs.
Following Neidert’s testimony, Rep. Anchía asked if she “keeps an ongoing list of where these performances are occurring.”
She confirmed that Protect Texas Kids keeps track of “kid-friendly drag shows” in North Texas.
“Could you send [a list] to my office?” the Democratic representative asked Neidert, who then said she would send him a list.
“My daughters have been asking me to take them to a drag show for months now, and I cannot find one in North Texas that permits them,” Anchía replied. “I have a 19-year-old and a 16-year-old.”
Neidert told The Dallas Express that Anchía “was deceptive,” as she initially assumed he was asking her about the list in good faith.
“I knew that he was a Democrat state rep, but even then, I thought he’s questioning me because … he wants proof that these shows are happening,” Neidert said. “I thought it was a good-natured discussion.”
“I definitely feel like it was deceptive,” she continued. “I think that he was trying to make me feel stupid. … He did not mean well.”
Neidert told The Dallas Express that she did not send the list to Anchía or the committee.
“I would have sent a list to the committee if Rep. Anchia was simply wanting proof that these shows exist,” she said. “However, I did not want to send the list after he made it clear that he was looking for a drag show to take his own children to.”
The Dallas Express contacted Anchía’s office for comment but received no response by press time.
On the same day as the hearing, he posted a photo on Twitter of himself alongside several drag queens “from North Texas.”
The issue of “family-friendly” drag shows has become a hot topic across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in recent months.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare recently sent a letter to the comptroller’s office to report a drag show during which children were allegedly exposed to nudity.
Meanwhile, SB 12 aims to criminalize “sexually oriented performances on public property, on the premises of a commercial enterprise, or in the presence of a child.”
Furthermore, House Bill 4378 would allow minors to “bring [legal] action against a person who knowingly promotes, conducts, or participates as a performer in [a] drag performance that occurs before an audience that includes the minor,” as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
Both bills have passed in the Texas Senate and are being considered in the Texas House.
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