Almost a month after a drag show targeting children was hosted in Austin, another one is being put on in the city.
The “Dragtivity Day” event is set to take place on March 2 at an Austin bar called Cheer Up Charlies. It is being hosted by Drag Story Hour, a group that promotes drag queens reading to children across the United States.
The owner of Cheer Up Charlies, Tamara Hoover, was a teacher in Austin Independent School District from 1999 until 2006.
According to Cheer Up Charlies’ website, the event will be hosted by Brigitte Bandit. Bandit, whose real name is Cheri Lake, is a female who performs as a drag queen.
She is known to post sexually explicit photos on Instagram and regularly performs a show called “Big Tits, Bigger Dreams.”
Other drag performers at Saturday’s Dragtivity event will include OnlineKyne, Lady Shug, Vylette Ward, La Dede Camacho, and Cholula Lemon. The event will have storytimes, lip syncs, and arts and crafts.
The Austin Public Library is one of the partners for the “Dragtivity Day.”
However, APL’s Public Information & Marketing Program Manager Baylor Johnson told Texas Scorecard that they are not “providing financial sponsorship for this event.”
“As with many community events throughout the year and across the city, we have accepted an opportunity to have a presence at a community event to table and provide families who attend the event with a chance to sign up for library cards and learn about the programming and educational opportunities offered by APL.”
Brady Gray, president of Texas Family Project, told Texas Scorecard that these drag shows will continue so long as Senate Bill 12 sits in the courts.
While legislators fill mailboxes with claims that they stopped all-age drag shows in Texas, Texas Family Project is continuing to expose and fight against this evil. Every day that Senate Bill 12 sits in limbo, grown men continue their prurient performances in front of children.
“Every Texan and especially those with strong voices of influence should be sounding off against this perversion and working to see it ended in Texas for good,” added Gray.
During the 88th Legislative Session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 12, which would prohibit sexually oriented performances in front of children under 18 years old. However, after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure into law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the state to halt it from taking effect. Bandit is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
A federal judge ruled in favor of the ACLU and granted a permanent injunction against enforcing the new law, preventing violators from being subjected to up to $10,000 in fines per offense.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and filed a motion to stay that injunction. However, the appellate court has not yet ruled on the case.
Last month, a venue in Austin hosted a “Drag Queen Bingo” at the Lawn, an outdoor truck park and market that has local shops and caters to families. The event was not labeled as open to all ages; however, one of the performers confirmed on social media that the event was open to children. It is unclear if any children attended the event.
