The Idaho Republican Party blasted this weekend’s local corporate-sponsored Pride fest that was set to feature “drag kids” as young as 11 performing on stage, accusing the segment of encouraging “the sexualization of our children,” and warning that “if you think this can’t happen in your ‘red state’ think again.”
The three-day Boise Pride Festival & Parade, sponsored by major corporations and beginning Friday, was originally set to feature “drag kids” as young as 11, who will be “bring[ing] drag to the younger generation.”
The event’s guide describes the youth performance as “a drag show like none other.”
While participants in “Drag Kids” range from ages 11 to 18 who “are ready to bring it all” to the festival stage, viewers may be of any age.
The guide calls on people to, “Come and cheer them on as they bring drag to the younger generation!”
The act follows “Drag Story Time,” which will feature stories “read by some of your favorite Drag Queens and Kings.”
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean expressed her pride in the festival on Tuesday while highlighting the need to “show our kids and teens that they have a home here, that we welcome them, accept, and support them for who they are, as they are.”
In response, the Idaho Republican Party released a statement calling out McLean, who “campaigned as a moderate, but she has governed like her radical colleagues in Seattle and Portland.”
“It’s no wonder that she’s now put Boise in the middle of a national firestorm over the sexualization of children,” the statement reads.
The statement also criticizes the Idaho Democratic Party for its support of the performance.
“To be clear, this is no sleight-of-hand or political wordsmithing: Idaho’s Democrat party believes it is not only okay but laudable to encourage children to engage in public displays of sexuality,” it reads.
“For those who have been following the radicalization of the Democrat party, this should come as no surprise,” the statement continued.
However, according to the Idaho Republicans, what is surprising is seeing just who is behind the financing of this “attack on Idaho’s children.”
“Out-of-state companies promise to bring investment and jobs to Idaho. Instead, they are financing the sexualization of our children and the perverse idea that children should engage in sexual performances with adult entertainers,” the statement reads.
It then calls on “all concerned Idahoans,” as well as the lobbying groups that “represent many of these out-of-state businesses who seek tax benefits and subsidies from our legislators, including IACI” to “disavow this attack on Idaho’s children and to invest their sponsorship dollars in the Boise Rescue Mission that serves families, women fleeing abuse, and disadvantaged children.”
In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News on Thursday, Dorothy Moon, Chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party, accused the “radical Left” and out-of-state corporations of misrepresenting what Idahoans support.
“The radical Left made a strategic bet on Idaho: they’re using out-of-state corporations, third-party front groups, out-of-state college kids, and a pliant legacy media to make it seem like the people of Idaho support the sexualization of our children,” she said.
“The hard working men and women of Idaho do not support this radical agenda,” she added. “And our message has been clear: children should be free of violence, hunger, and the sexual appetites of adults.”
In addition, Moon claimed to be “fighting this Goliath of woke corporate money and radical groomers with slingshots.”
“And if you think this can’t happen in your ‘red state’ think again,” she warned.
In response to the Idaho GOP’s statement, Boise Pride’s official Twitter account hit back, calling the drag kids performance a “celebration of self-expression and confidence,” while claiming “the only perversion and sexualization of this performance are coming from extremists and people like Dorothy Moon, who are twisting it into something it is not.”
In addition, the Idaho Democratic Party called Moon “too extreme for Idaho.”
However, after Zions Bank pulled its participation in the event, Boise Pride expressed “sadness” over the Utah-based bank holding company’s move, which it described as a reaction to “clearly anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and actions.”
The group also insisted that minors have participated in the festival “both on and off stage for many years” and that “pride and inclusivity do not begin at age 18.”
Shortly after, Boise Pride released a statement detailing the “very difficult decision” to postpone the “Drag Kids” performance.
The Boise Pride Fest, the region’s largest LGBTQ+ Pride celebration founded in 1989, “celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and queer social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride,” according to its website.
The event’s webpage features an image of a group of young volunteers, with a boy at the center who appears to be sucking a rainbow-colored lollipop in the shape of male genitals.
Celebrating its 33rd anniversary, the 2022 festival intentionally shifted the usual June date in order to ensure more families could attend in September.
“We escape some of the hottest parts of the summer, attract more young people with area colleges and universities back in session, and families typically return from summer vacations with children returning to school,” the guide states.
The guide’s cover says the Pride event, Idaho’s largest of the year, is dedicated to “supporting our superhumans.”
Sponsors of the event include the City of Boise, Wells Fargo, Citi, Chase, Target, Walmart, HP, AT&T, Macy’s, Amazon, Smirnoff, Jack Daniel’s, Chobani, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade among others.
Two of the sponsors, Central District Health and The Balcony Club, came together to offer a monkeypox vaccine clinic during the festival.
Many social media users expressed everything from dismay to disgust with the segment, with some calling for a boycott of the corporate sponsors.
“Is everybody really fine with this? 11-year old drag queens? Doesn’t seem excessive? Nothing strange about it?” asked essayist Wesley Yang.
“One is a hateful bigot for raising an eyebrow at 11-year old drag queens? One is ‘far right’ for questioning the propriety of 11-year old drag queens? Real questions,” he added.
“Remember when this thing started out as the issue with Drag Queen Story hour, and now we hit the point with drag queen performances for children and children drag queens,” wrote one Twitter user. “This is wrong on so many many levels.”
“The city of Boise is actively promoting the abuse of children,” wrote another.
“Time for the spending public to walk away from Citibank, Wells Fargo, Target, and Hewlett-Packard, the only way these companies will realise they are sponsoring the wrong ‘events’ when it hits their bottom line,” wrote another Twitter user.
“Maybe we should boycott all of those places,” wrote yet another.
The event comes as pro-LGBTQ and transgender propaganda continues to be marketed to children.
In July, Salon published a piece claiming drag performances can be a “good thing” to expose children to, and that young children can be “mature enough” to handle the “language and sexual innuendo.”
In June, Danish toy giant LEGO launched a campaign to “raise awareness” and “celebrate inclusivity and embrace self-expression” as it introduced fans to stories and creations of members of the “LGBTQIA+ community” and pledged to arrange “Drag Queen Story Time” at its offices.
Also in June, New York City Mayor Eric Adams faced severe backlash following his praise for “drag storytellers” and their contributions to the school system and students — who he claimed could greatly benefit from such child-centric events.
In addition, a video depicting a young child tipping a drag queen with uncovered fake breasts went viral this year, sparking outrage among social media users.
Breitbart News also noted that a viral video surfaced featuring drag queens dancing in front of babies and toddlers at a Dallas pride event called “Drag the Kids to Pride,” which was advertised as being “family-friendly.”
Earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) asserted that men freely expressing themselves in drag is “what America is all about,” making the remarks during an appearance on the seventh season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race.
“[It’s] my honor to be here, to say to all of you how proud we are of you. Thank you for the joy and beauty you bring to the world,” she said. “Your freedom of expression of yourselves in drag is what America is all about.”
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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