Records exclusively obtained by Texas Scorecard reveal an investigation by the Texas comptroller’s office into Plano bar and restaurant Ebb & Flow, after they hosted an explicit “all-ages” drag brunch last fall.
The bar came under fire after Sara Gonzales, the head of Defend Our Kids Texas, attended the event and filmed portions that she released to the public, exposing the perverted sexualization of Texas children. Gonzales’ video showed scantily clad men gyrating to sexually explicit music in front of children.
🚨 I attended another all ages drag brunch in Plano, TX over the weekend and the footage I have is shocking.
“My p*ssy good, p*ssy sweet
P*ssy good enough to eat…f*ck me all night”It gets worse. More footage to come. We WILL stop this. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/xVghUT0ORb
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) October 18, 2022
Under Chapter 102 of the Texas Business Code, “sexually oriented businesses” are required to remit a $5 per patron tax to the comptroller. Additionally, the statute says individuals under the age of 18 are not allowed in the business.
A letter from Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s office to Ebb & Flow dated February 2 shows the agency inquiring as to whether Ebb & Flow is a sexually oriented business.
“Please review and determine whether your business hosts activities that would subject it to the fee. Please note that even if you only occasionally host events that would subject your business to the fee, you are responsible to collect the fee for the attendance during that event,” the letter reads.
Attached to the letter is a “Sexually Oriented Business Fee Questionnaire” that the business was asked to fill out to determine whether they should be subject to the fee.
“As the Legislature takes critical steps to protect Texas children and strengthen statutes to restrict sexualized performances, my office will continue to work within the confines of existing law and investigate performances to determine if an entity must pay the fees associated with operating a sexually oriented business,” Hegar told Texas Scorecard.
This is not the first time Hegar and the comptroller’s office have investigated a business for potentially violating the sexually oriented business statute. The office launched an investigation last fall into the Dallas gay bar Mr. Misster, after they hosted a sexually charged “Drag the Kids to Pride” event. Video footage of the event revealed children handing drag queens dollar bills and walking onstage in front of a neon sign reading, “It’s not gonna lick itself!”
Months later, however, Hegar disappointed family activists, saying that current law was not strong enough to go after the business.
“Losing this fight is not an option,” said Hegar at the time. “And I will not allow activist courts to further undermine Texas values by engaging in a legal battle without having the proper statutory support needed to win that battle.”
Hegar’s office says they will continue to investigate entities suspected of hosting events that would make them liable for the sexually oriented business fee and will audit entities to ensure they remain in compliance.
As of publishing, Ebb & Flow did not respond to a request for comment.
The issue of explicit drag shows and more is discussed in Texas Scorecard’s podcast Exposed Season 4: The Sexualization of Texas Kids.
