Parents need to stop taking their kids to drag shows

Local drag queen Miz Diagnosis will be reading to children tomorrow at a children’s boutique in Chaska. It’s the latest battleground between truth and tolerance in the broader culture war.

I’ve been trying to figure out why any self-respecting mother would bring her children to see a grown man dress up like a woman to either perform a sexually provocative dance or read a children’s book. My most charitable explanation is they want their kids to grow up with a sense of acceptance and tolerance for all people. They don’t want their children to be bigots, racists, homophobes, or generally judgmental people.

That’s an admirable goal for raising your family.

But in their quest for tolerance, they’ve lost track of something equally important to teach young people: the truth. As Riley Gaines told our audience last night, “It is loving to say the truth.” And “If we can’t stand firm in the truth, what do we have?”

Gaines is the NCAA swimmer who is traveling the country speaking the truth about her experiences competing against, and worse yet, sharing a locker room with, a biological male. Most of the adults in her life were too afraid to speak the truth about how wrong and unfair this is, likely out of a misplaced sense of tolerance.

Getting back to the drag story hour tomorrow in Chaska, the owner of the boutique is clearly choosing tolerance over truth as she explained her motives to KMSP-TV.

“I just think it’s important for children to see all the different types of people in our community,” said Heid-Nordling. “There are a lot of people in the LGBTQ community in Carver County, in Chaska, in the surrounding cities…sometimes, the negative people can be really loud, but the positive do come out in the end. They come up, they show up and it’s good for them to see they do have people, their neighbors, standing up for them.”

There are many other ways to accomplish Heid-Nordling’s goal of teaching children tolerance for different types of people in our community, including gay people. The use of drag queens for this purpose exploits young children (their children) by exposing them to sexually explicit themes and behaviors before they are emotionally ready. Parents are sacrificing the innocence of their own children to virtue-signal how much tolerance and acceptance they have for people who are different.

Proof of this attitude can be found in the social media replies after Heid-Nordling posted a video of a local mom voicing opposition to the drag story hour. While many replies supported the mom in the video, others supported the store and pledged to be there with their children. Taking your kids to a drag event is the new way to show the world you’re a modern, caring, sensitive person (apologies to Joe Soucheray).

Hopkins Pride Drag Event

The last drag show in the western suburbs was billed as a family friendly event during the first-ever Hopkins Pride on June 17, 2023. According to the Hopkins Sun Sailer, organizer Benny Barrett hoped the drag show in Hopkins would serve as an opportunity to destigmatize drag shows by showcasing drag as the art form it is.  

“There’s a lot of people who associate drag with lewd behavior…but drag is an art form just like any other. There’s a lot of comedy involved, and you can tailor that to any age group. Just as there are Rated G movies and there are Rated R movies, and ours is more on the Rated G side. Drag is about joy, it’s about fun, it’s about building confidence. I think a lot of people just don’t know about the art form. There’s a large spectrum of what drag performance is.”

Here’s a video from the actual event:

Here’s a photo of another performer at the Hopkins Pride family-friendly drag show:

What part of this is G-Rated? The costumes with the fishnet stockings? The dance? The dollar bill given by the child with her parents’ encouragement? The whole thing is sexualized.

Hopkins Pride promised a family friendly event but delivered grown men dressed as women dancing provocatively in front of children and parents. The event tomorrow in Chaska will likely be the same.

Opponents of drag shows and drag story hours should not look to government to shut them down – they are permitted under the First Amendment. But parents should honor their children, teach them the truth, and choose the Teddy Bear Band over Miz Diagnosis every time, and twice on Sunday.