Petition: Protect Children from Drag Shows

What in the world is going on in Idaho?

Accusations that a biologically male drag performer exposed himself at a community event to onlooking children stunned Coeur d’Alene residents earlier this summer.

The “Pride in the Park” event, which had been billed in promotional materials as “family-friendly,” took place at a city park in the conservative North Idaho town.

There, onstage in the heart of the public park, a drag performer danced provocatively in women’s panties and high heels while grabbing his crotch—much of which was captured on video.

Some observers reported the drag queen exposed his genitals to an audience that included many children. The local prosecutor refused to bring charges, insisting that the alleged unlawful activity was not captured by videographic and photographic evidence.

For what it’s worth, Idaho Family Policy Center has reviewed the unedited footage and can confirm it portrays public exposure of the performer’s genitalia.

Regardless, sexual exhibitions like drag shows are never appropriate in public places or other areas where children might be present.

And yet it’s happening all across Idaho—in Twin Falls, where a drag queen event also advertised as “family-friendly” took place at Mary Alice Park on Main Street; and across the state in Idaho Falls and Pocatello, where a local bookstore and public library host regular “Reading Time With Queens” events for young children.

Parents need to understand that cross-dressing is often an erotic fetish for drag performers who become sexually aroused when they imitate sexualized behaviors of the opposite sex in public.

With that in mind, it becomes clear that public drag shows exploit children and other audience members for the depraved purpose of sexually gratifying the performer. Let me be clear: these creeps are using our children as pawns for their perverse sexual desires.

It’s illegal for children to patronize strip clubs, and we don’t allow them to hang around adult movie stores. So why do we allow sexualized drag exhibitions in places like public parks and community libraries?

To protect our children, the Idaho Legislature must update state laws to address these vile sexual exhibitions in places where children are present.

Our children’s innocence—and public virtue—must be protected. We need to make our voices heard. This twisted behavior should never occur in sight of young children—enough is enough!

Ask state legislators to protect innocent children:

According to the Idaho State Constitution, the state legislature carries the responsibility of enacting legislation that promotes morality, public virtue, and the purity of the home.

Therefore, we call on our state lawmakers to implement legal reform that would prohibit drag performances in public places where children are present.

Our concerns stem from the proliferation of public drag events that are now taking place in our communities. Perhaps most alarmingly, these aberrant sexual exhibitions are regularly marketed toward impressionable and vulnerable children.

Like strip shows or adult magazines, drag culture is inherently sexualized. In fact, cross-dressing is classified as an erotic fetish, and drag performers often become sexually aroused when they imitate sexualized behaviors of the opposite sex in public.

Our children’s innocence—and public virtue—must be protected. Please update state laws to ensure children are not exposed to sexual exhibitions like drag shows in public places.