A high-profile drag convention offered free entry and passes to “after hours” parties to children aged eight and under, it has been revealed.
RuPaul’s Drag Convention, supported by children’s TV programme Teletubbies, described itself as “family-friendly” and parents were encouraged to bring along their young children.
The event featured “Drag Queen Story Time” sessions, a “Kids Fashion Show” and appearances by Teletubbies characters.
‘Safeguarding concerns’
Piers Shepherd, Senior Researcher at the Family Education Trust, said: “Drag shows are highly sexualised performances for adults only and therefore do not constitute suitable entertainment for school-age children.
“It is shocking that children under the age of eight will be given free tickets to this performance. This raises serious concerns about safeguarding and the sexualisation of children.”
The Tate Britain plans to host “Drag Queen Story Hour” sessions next month at the gallery’s Play Studio in London.
The prestigious gallery is facing a backlash for “actively and one-sidedly promoting gender ideology to children” with a petition to “Stop Tate from targeting kids with gender propaganda” reaching 3,000 signatures in its first week.
Highly inappropriate
Last year, parents raised concerns over “highly inappropriate” drag queen story time sessions hosted in public libraries around England and Wales.
The Safe Schools Alliance, a campaign group of teachers and parents, said “drag queens entering children’s environments is an abuse of power”.
It added: “The conflation of sex and gender results in greater confusion for children and encourages them to believe that a boy may be a girl if only he puts on a dress”.
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