A local Texas church is set to host a “family-friendly” drag show on May 6 that is open to children. Faith Church in New Braunfels has received from the United Church of Christ a designation as an Open and Affirming church, which denotes their “welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.”
“As an open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, we actively seek to express Jesus’ inclusive embrace of all people,” reads Faith Church’s website.
According to The Texan, On its Facebook page for the event, the church affirmed that children are welcome to be in attendance. The history of the United Church of Christ includes ordaining the first women and openly gay pastors.
Faith Church further emphasizes “inclusive love” and performed same-sex unions decades before the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that made same-sex marriages legal throughout the country, saying that “the church voted to publicly proclaim what we had been practicing for a while.”
They have openly encouraged a variety of other LGBT events, including promoting a college scholarship fund exclusively for applicants who identify as LGBT and an “interfaith pride worship service.”
Churches and community centers in Texas that host “family-friendly” drag events have become a frequent point of contention. A drag show bingo event in North Texas garnered national attention when a video of the event showed children collecting money from drag performers.
A Houston-area church held a “drag bingo” event last September that also featured a “Transparent Closet” for children to find clothes that are “designed for trans and exploring teens.”
This past weekend, Texans were witness to a clash of armed Antifa protesters and police over a drag event in Fort Worth. Additionally, a free speech organization has sued West Texas A&M University over its decision to shut down a student group’s charity drag show.
Drag show events have been a continued topic of conversation across the country, and Texas legislators have filed multiple bills in response to the pervasive incidents in which children have been present at sexually explicit drag events.
The Senate recently passed Sen. Bryan Hughes’ (R-Mineola) Senate Bill (SB) 12 that would restrict “certain sexually oriented performances on public property, on the premises of a commercial enterprise, or in the presence of a child,” punishing them as Class A misdemeanors. His SB 1601 also passed, which aims to ban “Drag Queen Story Hour” events by restricting public funds from municipal libraries that host such events.
