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Sick All-Ages Drag Show Had Young Kids Handing Bills to Performers

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It wasn’t that long ago that Americans, whether they were conservative or liberal, agreed on some basics.

There was plenty of room for polite disagreement, sure, but both sides of the aisle were generally on the same page when it came to the important things.

A liberal of just a few decades ago likely agreed that family values mattered, and that America’s principles didn’t need to be completely torn down.

Most people also acknowledged that kids should be kids, and not dragged into the adult world or used to push agendas.

But “dragged” is exactly what happened recently to underage children in Iowa.

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An event promoted as “all ages” and “family-friendly” by a public library turned out to be a drag show with some very adult tones — especially when money ended up on the stage.

Although it took place in April, the drag show is still sparking questions about where the line between fun and appropriate should be.

“Come to a free, family-friendly evening of music and dance by local professional and amateur drag performers,” Ames Public Library in Ames, Iowa posted on its website.

That “family-friendly” evening, however, turned into something that can only be described as grooming children for strip clubs.

Did this "family" event cross the line?

Images of the event posted to Instagram by librarian Tanvi Rastogi, some of which appear to be no longer available online but which were captured in screenshots by TheBlaze, show underage kids being encouraged to give money to dancers strutting their stuff on the stage.

In some cases, the photos show young kids in drag and doing stripper-style dance routines while other kids offered them cash.

“Screams and cheers were heard a block away from the Ames Public Library on Saturday because of the All-Ages Drag Show,” Iowa State Daily reported in a piece that breathlessly celebrated putting underage kids onstage and throwing them cash.

“Cheer for the things you like and cheer for the things you don’t like, these performers are vulnerable on this stage and need all of our support,” urged Mara Spooner, an adult drag performer who MC’d the event.

The newspaper then broke down each drag act, confirming multiple times that cash was being offered to create a notably strip club-type atmosphere. Here’s a sample, with emphasis added:

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“Christiana performed ‘And I’m Telling You’ by Jennifer Hudson in white ripped jeans, a black top and a green jacket. She wowed the crowd with a cartwheel before ending her performance by throwing her tips into the air to have them rain down over her,” the paper reported.

“Maize catered to her audience and took the time to personally accept tips from the young children who offered them to her. She ended her performance with by blowing a kiss to the audience,” the outlet said.

“Smokey Moon, a performer from Ames Middle School […] [danced] while wearing a Steven Universe costume that included a cropped red top with a gold star on it and a gem tattoo on her stomach,” the description for another act read.

“Jaymee Sexton performed to a disco mix while wearing an afro and poofy blue outfit. Sexton proceeded to strip to a black outfit and then into a sparkly tassel outfit with plenty of twirls, splits, high kicks and cartwheels mixed in.”

librarytanvi / Instagram screen shot via TheBlaze
librarytanvi / Instagram screen shot via TheBlaze
librarytanvi / Instagram screen shot via TheBlaze

Hey, remember when conservatives were mocked and told to quit worrying when they expressed concern over far-left agendas?

They were called prudes and phobic and worse, all because they thought that maybe some values are worth preserving.

But you don’t have to be a prude to notice that far-left culture seems to be sexualizing children at an appalling rate. These aren’t college students experimenting or teenagers trying to figure themselves out.

This is being pushed onto children who are middle school-aged and younger.

Set aside the actual gender-bending drag show for a minute.

Are there not any voices on the left who dare to admit that encouraging kids to throw cash at strippers is over the top?

Remember, this is the same modern left which claims to stand against girls being treated as sex objects.

It’s the same left which nobly wants to fight sex trafficking, and promotes the “#MeToo” movement to end sexual harassment and cat-calling.

But suddenly, grooming children to wave dollar bills at dancers thrusting is what they’re promoting as “family entertainment” — coming soon to a public library near you.

Cash for stripping and gyrating onstage — isn’t that the definition of objectifying people?

Do you see the disconnect? Something is wrong here, and until we start talking about it honestly, nothing is going to change.

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Benjamin Arie is an independent journalist and writer. He has personally covered everything ranging from local crime to the U.S. president as a reporter in Michigan before focusing on national politics. Ben frequently travels to Latin America and has spent years living in Mexico.




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