The Children’s Museum of Richmond is facing criticism over an LGBTQ pride event with Santa Claus for children. The museum in Virginia posted a tweet with photos from the event that showed a man dressed up like Santa Claus next to a drag show performer named Michelle Livigne. “We’re still smiling from Pride Night with Legendary Santa!” read the tweet from the museum’s account.
“In collaboration with Black Pride RVA, Diversity Richmond, He She Ze and We, Side by Side, SPARC Spectrum, and Virginia Pride, we invited LGBTQIA+ families to enjoy visits with Santa. We can’t wait to do it again!” they added. The organization shut down comments on the tweet in order to avoid criticism.
The “He She Ze and We” group described its mission as “Empowering families on the journey of gender identity through support, education, and advocacy.” Some people on Twitter reported canceling their membership to the children’s museum over the LGBTQ event. “Absolutely shameful. All my friends are canceling their membership. Let the kids alone! #groomer,” responded one twitter account.
“Dear Childrens Museum of Richmond, we won’t be renewing our membership any time soon. This is inappropriate for children,” said another critic. “If you’re an adult doing this for adults, I don’t care, but this is highly inappropriate for children who haven’t even reached puberty. Whatever happened to innocence?” (SOURCE)
