A so called ‘family friendly drag show’ in a Tennessee Pride event has sparked outrage and controversy after a kid appears to touch an artist below his waist.
The clip was posted by several conservative influencers, including right-wing journalist Andy Ngo, of the ‘Pride Youth Day’ drag show at Wanderlinger Brewing Company.
Part of the video shows a child approaching an artist dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid and placing her hand on the artist’s crotch.
The clip shows that the youngster seemed to want to feel the texture of the costume they were wearing to approach the Disney princess.
A spokesperson for Chattanooga Pride said: NewsChannel 9 that the artist is a biological woman and has performed several times for children in the area. They noted that all the Disney Princess impersonators who performed on the show were biological women.
A so-called ‘family-friendly drag show’ at a Tennessee Pride event has sparked outrage and controversy after a child appears to touch a performer below his waist
The clip was posted by several conservative influencers, including right-wing journalist Andy Ngo, from the ‘Pride Youth Day’ drag show at Wanderlinger Brewing Company
Part of the video shows a child approaching an artist dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid and placing her hand on the artist’s crotch
They also claim that the video is out of context and does not show the artist moving the child’s hands away from her and moving further away from her after the video ends.
Their full statement adds: ‘Her tail was made of a reversible sequin fabric, so the younger child touched it. What the video didn’t show was that the artist was redirecting the child by stepping aside.”
They also claim the video contains clips – including an artist spreading his legs to reveal their underwear – of events that children were not allowed to attend.
Since the tweet, the spokesperson says she and the organization have received death threats.
Conservatives are outraged by the clip, with activist Robby Starbuck saying, “I think it’s clearly wrong.
The clip shows that the youngster seemed to want to feel the texture of the costume they were wearing to approach the Disney princess
“When you look at even some of the biggest drag queens in the world, it’s not strange for them to admit that this is a very sexual, you know, we’ll call it an art form.”
A writer for the right-wing site Law enforcement today went on to say the event was, “Another disgusting display of child brainwashing and care of innocent children at the hands of sexualized drag queens.”
Natalie Green, who took her three young children to the event, defended the moment, saying: “The princesses weren’t drag performers, they were cisgender women. No one is forcing that child to do anything. She says, three, she saw something that shiny.’
She added that she and her son are watching RuPaul’s Drag Race together and wanted to see a drag show in person.
A spokesperson for the bar – which claims it hosts everything from LGBTQ+ to church-related events – said in a statement: “The families in attendance expressed no concerns and supported activities related to the event and reached out to the promoter on social media. media to defend themselves. their choice, their children and Chattanooga Pride.”
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp was disgusted by the video, saying, “This isn’t hard. Parents are not allowed to bring children to drag shows and business owners are not allowed to host children’s drag shows.
“It’s a shame that this is happening over the Ironman weekend, when the best of our region is on display. For the visitors: no, those are not our values.’
He seemed to run his remarks somewhat back into a… tweet that said that while he wouldn’t take his kids to a drag show, “any hate speech or threat of violence is despicable.”
In a statement on Facebook, the Chattanooga Pride Board wrote that they are adding security to further events during their celebration, but are going ahead as planned.
They wrote: “The 2022 Chattanooga Pride Board stands firm against all forms of prejudice, bigotry, racism, homophobia and transphobia. To our community’s allies and supporters: Thank you. Thank you for assisting us. Your support does not go unnoticed.’
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp appeared outraged by the video
He appeared to backtrack on his comments somewhat in a tweet stating that while he wouldn’t take his kids to a drag show, “any hate speech or threat of violence is despicable”
In a statement on Facebook, the Chattanooga Pride Board wrote that they are adding security to further events during their celebration, but are going ahead as planned.
