The kickoff of Pride month in Dallas, Texas was marked by a controversial incident involving a drag show titled “Drag the kids to pride” at Mr. Misster, a popular gay bar and safe space in Oak Lawn neighborhood.
The event, which the organizers described as a “family-friendly” drag queen story hour, attracted both attendees and right-wing protesters, leading to tensions with the police.
According to local LGBTQ+ media outlet The Dallas Voice and Dallas-Fort Worth ABC News affiliate WFAA 8, protesters gathered outside the event, holding signs with messages such as “Stop grooming the kids” and “Stop exploiting kids.”
Inside the venue, drag performers danced and interacted with the audience, including taking dollar bills from some children and having them join in the procession.
Cannon Brown, a Dallas LGBTQ+ activist, shared photos on Facebook, calling out the protesters as “Christofascists” and urging others to join the scene.
Pictures captured by journalist Tammye Nash, using photos by Chad Mantooth, revealed signs with slogans like “confuse a child, abuse a child,” “stop groomers,” and “stop exploiting our kids.”
One woman wore a black T-shirt with rainbow colors and the words “rainbow revival,” seemingly in opposition to Pride Month. Dasy, a protester who didn’t disclose her last name, expressed her disagreement with the event, stating her objection to children being involved in such performances.
The venue issued a statement after the event, expressing their commitment to inclusivity and safety. They clarified that the special Pride Drag Brunch aimed to provide a family-friendly space for celebration and raise funds for an LGBTQ+ youth organization.
However, they highlighted the presence of homophobic and transphobic remarks from the protestors outside, which were met with assistance from staff and police officers to ensure safety and crowd control.
An anti-LGBTQ+ group called Protect Texas Kids released a statement falsely claiming that the Dallas Police Department had removed the children from the drag show.
The police department clarified that their involvement was limited to assisting with crowd control and ensuring a safe dispersal of the attendees.
Mr. Misster faced a barrage of threats, including hundreds of threatening emails, negative Google reviews, and aggressive phone calls from the protesters, as reported by WFAA ABC 8.
