Smithsonian hosts ‘age-appropriate drag show’ for young children to celebrate pride month

In an oxymoron for the ages, an “age-appropriate drag show” for young children was hosted earlier this month by the Smithsonian American Art Museum as part of a larger “Pride Family Day” in the D.C. area. 

The Smithsonian’s event also included pride-themed crafts for children as young as 3 along with “scavenger hunts” to “celebrate pride.” 

Beside the sexual nature of the event, critics are also pointing out the fact that the event took place in a venue paid for by taxpayers.   

“A drag queen, by definition, is a man dressed up in an extreme and hypersexualized stereotype of a woman. It’s hard to imagine what parents would want to expose their children to men painted in ‘woman-face’,” Jay Richards, director of The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family, told the Daily Signal. “And to add insult to injury, this is sponsored by a public institution supported with our tax dollars.” 

“The taxpayer-funded Smithsonian event is just the latest attempt to infect young minds with harmful gender ideology,” Jared Eckert, a research assistant at the DeVos Center added. “Now more than ever, we need … amendments to stop federal dollars from promoting harmful ideology in any of its forms.” 

The “infection” spread to Dallas, Texas recently as well, where a “family friendly” drag show happened at a seedy Texas gay bar, with video evidence as appalling as can be imagined. In that video, children can be seen giving money to scantily-clad drag queens in front of a neon sign that reads, “It’s not going to lick itself!” Children were also encouraged to walk the stage with the “queens.” 

The controversy surrounding the bar videos prompted a response from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said his own state is already looking into banning drag shows for kids. “I’ve asked my folks to look,” DeSantis said. “We have child protective statutes on the books. We have laws against child endangerment.” 

 The Smithsonian’s latest event encouraged families to walk around the museum with their young children to listen to a drum band made up of LGBTQ musicians, enjoy a dance party led by a LGBTQ “advocate,” and watch a “lip-sync drag show” led by four drag queens.  

The Smithsonian’s website also provided resources to help children celebrate pride all month long, with its “Family Pride Zone” featuring coloring sheets, crafts and videos.  

“Pride” efforts from the Smithsonian have expanded in the last few years, including with its National Museum of American History’s “Illegal to Be You: Gay History Behind Stonewall” exhibit. That exhibit was featured from June 2019 through July 2021. The museum’s blog also features a bevy of LGBTQ stories. 

While a “pride” event is no surprise at the Smithsonian, the drag show for kids is an egregious example of harmful gender ideology run amok.