Texas lawmaker introducing bill banning drag shows where minors are present

DALLAS (TND) — Following heated protests outside a drag show for kids in Dallas, a member of the Texas House of Representatives said he plans to introduce a bill prohibiting such performances in the presence of minors.

The events of this past weekend were horrifying and show a disturbing trend in which perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children,” Texas GOP Rep. Bryan Slaton wrote in a news release. “As a father of two young children, I would never take my children to a drag show and I know Speaker Dade Phelan and the rest of my Republican colleagues wouldn’t either.

Slaton said that lawmakers protecting their own children isn't enough and that their responsibility as lawmakers “extends to the sexualization that is happening across Texas.”

Last weekend, a Dallas-area gay bar’s “Drag The Kids To Pride” event, which was billed as “a family-friendly drag show” and offered opportunities for “young performers to take the stage solo,” led to a flurry of criticism after protesters showed up and began filming.

The clash comes on the heels of increased media attention around the uptick in drag-related events for children during this year’s Pride Month.

The trend has circulated around schools, public libraries, and even military bases.

As part of D.C. Public Schools' Pride Month celebrations, the school system sponsored an event – advertised alongside an image of a drag performer – where LGBT students could come to "performances."

Other Pride Month events for kids being held around the country include a “Kiddie Korner” at a local county “PrideFest” in Illinois, sponsored by two publicly funded libraries, and a “Queer Youth Open Mic Night,” held at a sex shop owned by a local school board director in Washington.

Read more: “School board member hosts LGBT youth event at her sex shop”

“I promised my voters that I would stand up for their values and fight to protect Texas kids,” Slaton said. “I was re-elected on that promise and I intend to keep it by authoring legislation to defend kids from being subjected to drag shows and other inappropriate events.”