Video shows children dancing for money at RuPaul's drag queen convention
Recently surfaced video footage depicts children dancing on stage for money alongside drag queen performers during a drag convention in California.
The incident does not appear to be the first time children have been exposed to what some feel are sexually explicit performances and inappropriate for such a young audience.
The event, RuPaul's DragCon 2022, took place on May 13-15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, featuring drag queen performers from across the country. The list of performers included "A'Whora," "Madame Laqueer" and "Trinity the Tuck."
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The Libs of TikTok Twitter account posted a video Sunday showing children dancing on stage with the drag queen performers and collecting money from the audience while adult onlookers cheered.
"Nothing to see here … just a child dancing for adults with drag queens on stage for money at a drag convention," the tweet states.
Nothing to see here… just a child dancing for adults with drag queens on stage for money at a drag convention. pic.twitter.com/QqzNGckO2x
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 29, 2022
According to DragCon's website, its sponsors include streaming service Paramount+, makeup brand Anastasia Beverly Hills, the craft and fabric store chain Jo-Ann, Out Here Sexual Health and the Los Angeles Public Library.
According to a FAQ page, RuPaul's DragCon is open to children of all ages, and kids 8 and under were allowed in for free if accompanied by an adult with a ticket. As part of the conference's programming, a "Kid's Fashion Show" was held Sunday and sponsored by the Los Angeles Public Library.
RuPaul's DragCon did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
On Monday, Libs of TikTok included footage from DragCon in a Twitter thread containing examples of drag events targeted at children.
"They say it's innocent. They say it's just about inclusion and acceptance. They say no one is trying to confuse, corrupt, or sexualize kids. They lie," the account wrote.
An additional example included in the thread was a May 15 drag show for children that took place at the gay nightclub Duluth Flame in Minnesota.
As Fox 21 reported, the drag show was called "Mama's Toybox."
A gay nightclub in Minnesota held a drag show for children earlier this month. One of the performers said in an interview “I want to give the kids an opportunity to see what drag queen/king life is like on a day to day basis.” https://t.co/dGfdsD7OHSpic.twitter.com/zLcYBgTt1O
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 31, 2022
A performer for the event, a drag queen known as "Mama Dukes," told Fox 21 in an interview that she wants to give kids "an opportunity to see what drag queen or drag king life is like on a day-to-day basis."
Another example included in the thread is a Drag The Kids To Pride drag show at the bar Mr. Misster in Dallas, Texas, slated to take place on June 4. The event invites children to sign up and join the drag queens on stage or for a solo stage performance. A post about the show on Eventbrite claims it's "fit for guests of all ages!"
A bar in Dallas, Texas is advertising a drag show for children including the oppurtunity for some kids to perform with the drag queens on stage. This is the drag queen host. pic.twitter.com/L14WloK5ie
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 31, 2022
Drag queens have also begun to make appearances at libraries throughout the country, where they read books to small children.
Texas School librarians gathered from April 25 to April 28 in Fort Worth for an annual conference. This year's conference featured men in drag and symposiums centered around teaching kids about anti-racism.
The conference titled "Recover, Rebalance, Reconnect" had a lineup of performers, including adult entertainer Justin Johnson — dressed in drag as "Alyssa Edwards" — and Joseph Hoselton — dressed as "Jenna Skyy."
Johnson, who became famous after appearing on the television series "RuPaul's Drag Race," was the "After Hours Keynote" speaker, while Hoselton led "Drag Queen Storytime" to promote "literacy and community collaboration through dynamic storytelling and music."
The Drag Queen Story Hour started in San Francisco, California, in 2015 as a program where drag queens would read stories to small children at public libraries. Today, the program has chapters in 27 states and other countries.
In March 2019, the Lansdale Public Library in Pennsylvania received pushback for hosting an event called the "Drag Queen Story Fun Time with Annie," featuring a performer named "Annie Christ," a play on the word anti-Christ.
"There's definitely more complaints about this than any other event we've done," Library Director Tom Meyer told Philly.com. At the same time, he maintained that the support for the event was "overwhelming."
"One of the tenets of our mission here is to celebrate cultural diversity in the community, and I think a lot of the parents are interested in that and also the message of the story time, about acceptance and inclusion," he continued.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, some members of the Philadelphia-area community created an event page for a protest and prayer rally in response to the event.
"Lansdale, Pennsylvania, is bringing perversion from the nightclubs and sexually charged pride parades into the library with children," the post read.
"Trusted officials and library staff are promoting a foul-mouthed adult entertainer named 'Annie Christ' (a discriminative attack on Christianity) as a role model to our small children, and we must take action. Why is our library taking on such a politically controversial issue especially when receiving our tax dollars?"
