An LGBT organization in New Braunfels is hosting a drag show on Saturday that is being marketed as “all ages.”
While the Riverside Pride Festival was originally slated to take place at the Comal County Fairgrounds, the event has since been moved to an alternate location—Faith United Church of Christ.
The Comal County Fair Executive Board released a statement Tuesday evening explaining that the LGBT organization had decided to move the event following concerns over “age appropriateness.”
Online account LibsofTiktok had posted about the event, warning parents to beware.
“It is unacceptable to expose impressionable young minds to content that distorts biological truth and actively confuses children about their identity,” Vanessa Sivadge, president of Protecting Texas Children, told Texas Scorecard. “Events that promote the LGBTQ agenda have no place in public spaces where children are present.”
Riverside Pride has posted that the organization is “not going anywhere.”
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R–Austin), whose district includes New Braunfels, posted on X that “we don’t need this reprehensible garbage in Comal County or anywhere else in Texas.”
“We encourage community leaders and local citizens to make their voices heard against the normalization of ideologies that corrupt, confuse, and sexualize youth,” added Sivadge. “Childhood innocence is not for sale in the state of Texas.”
In 2023, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 12 to prohibit sexually oriented shows in the presence of minors and on public property.
A lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, and a U.S. district judge issued a permanent injunction against the measure, claiming it infringes upon the First Amendment.
The case is currently on appeal.
