Texas state lawmaker vows to ban kids from drag shows: 'Children just need to be children'
Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton weighs in on the controversial 'Drag Your Kids to Pride' drag show which allowed children to walk down the runway.
A Texas Republican lawmaker said on "Fox & Friends First" Wednesday he plans to introduce legislation in the next legislative session to ban children from being allowed to attend drag shows.
State Rep. Bryan Slaton emphasized the need for "children to just grow up and be children" and said drag shows are no place for kids.
"We have a lot of laws to protect kids in Texas. We don't let them get tattoos. They can't go in sexually oriented businesses. They can't go in liquor stores. And then, of course, children need to just grow up and be children. They don't need to be sexualized. They don't need to be presented with this where they're putting money into men's underwear. It's just not appropriate for children at all," he said.
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Slaton, a Republican who represents a House district just east of Dallas, said in a press release that his proposed legislation comes after footage went viral over the weekend showing children attending a drag show at Mister Misster, a gay bar in North Dallas.
Protesters showed up at the "Drag the kids to pride" event Saturday afternoon, which was billed as "a family-friendly drag show." The organizers called it a spin-off of their Champagne Drag Brunch that would allow kids to dance with performers on stage, according to local WFAA.
Videos later emerged on social media of drag performers at the event taking dollar bills from children, dancing with them and walking down the aisle in the center of the room, which was emblazoned with a neon sign that read: "It's not gonna lick itself!"
Visitors walk around outside the Texas State Capitol building on July 12, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)
When asked by host Todd Piro how the concept of sexualizing children has become acceptable to some, Slaton said the country has moved away from faith and family values.
"Leave children alone. I'm also saying we need to get porn out of our school libraries. We need to stop the gender modification of children," he said.
Slaton has also come out against gender transition for minors, writing a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in August 2021 urging the agency to classify mastectomies, chemical procedures and psychological counseling that affirms non-biological sex as child abuse.
Fox News' Jon Brown contributed to this report