The Typhoon Texas Waterpark in Katy has rescinded its approval to host an annual LGBT event featuring drag performers following community backlash.
The Katy Pride Celebration’s Saturday event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m was set to launch with a parade around the park followed by entertainment, including a DJ, a drag queen, a drag king, a closet runway show, and a Kids Zone featuring “activities for families and children which will include inflatables, yard games, crafts, and more.”
Organizers also promoted a panel discussion hosted by Meghan Fairbanks, who runs the Trans Truth Podcast, and a “Pride Story Time” performance led by the drag queen and king.
The drag queen, called Serena Spellman, uses an Instagram handle containing profane language. Spellman’s bio includes the same language along with “8647,” a reference to the assassination—or possibly impeachment—of President Donald Trump.
The drag king Kian Kismet’s bio lists he/him pronouns. The corresponding Instagram account is filled with sexualized content, including one photo in which Kismet wears a plush, anthropomorphic male-genital toy around the crotch.
While the celebration was originally set to be held at Typhoon Texas, event organizers announced Wednesday night that the venue had abruptly canceled.
In an email posted to their website, organizers said they were “deeply disappointed to announce the abrupt cancellation of their scheduled event—originally planned and contracted over a year ago. Despite a signed agreement in April and extensive preparation, the venue, Typhoon Texas Waterpark in Katy, cancelled the event less than 72 hours before its scheduled date, citing unspecified ‘security concerns.’”
Katy Pride added that “no credible threats were made against the event.”
Instead, those concerns appear to have stemmed largely from public backlash—specifically, calls from local residents, current and former Katy ISD school board members, and one lawful, peaceful protest planned for Saturday. Residents urged the waterpark to cancel the event, describing it as “not family-friendly.”
Tonight’s kickoff event has been moved to First Christian Church Katy. Katy Pride says it plans to announce the new location for Saturday’s main event soon.
First Christian Church has been openly “accepting and affirming” LGBT ideologies since 2006. The church’s “Transparent Closet” is a secret cross-dressing boutique featuring chest binders, fake genitalia, and a selection of clothes and undergarments of the opposite sex for children to choose from.
This is not the first time the church has hosted a drag event, having previously hosted a “drag bingo.”
In 2023, Texas lawmakers approved Senate Bill 12, a measure designed to ban sexually oriented performances in the presence of minors or on public property. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas quickly filed a lawsuit challenging the law, and a U.S. district judge later issued a permanent injunction, ruling that the measure violated the First Amendment. The state has since appealed the decision.
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