Critics trying to shut down ‘Disney Drag Extravaganza’ show in Tri-Cities
Some Tri-Citians are trying to shut down an all-ages, Disney-themed drag show planned next week.
But the organizer says it will be a positive, family-friendly event where people can sing and dance.
A flier for the “All Ages Disney Drag Extravaganza” — planned for April 5 at a Pasco club — promises a drag show by several local performers.
Andrea Wabaunsee, a part-time event organizer for Out and About, says the club has been hosting biweekly drag shows for 20 years, as well as shows for all-ages the past 10 years.
“What we’re doing is bringing to life these Disney characters for the children so that they can experience entertainment in a family-friendly environment and in a little bit of a different way,” she told the Tri-City Herald.
Wabaunsee, who has been performing drag in the Tri-Cities for 14 years, says there are big differences between performances for “adults” and “all ages” events.
This event will not feature any explicit content, stripping, swearing or provocative dancing, she said.
“I think the misinterpretation here is that a lot of people who misunderstand the culture just think that drag and anything to that nature would be inherently sexual, and I think they think that way and put two and two together because they believe queer culture is inherently sexual, and that is not necessarily a truthful point,” she said.
The group’s most recent all-ages event was in December and was themed around Christmas and the holidays. Yet there appeared to be no uproar from community members about the event.
And last year’s Tri-Cities Pride Festival, which included an all-ages outdoor drag performance for hundreds of Tri-Citians, went off largely without a hitch.
All-ages event
So, what goes on at an all-ages drag show?
As Wabaunsee describes it: The event is an inclusive place for people of all ages and backgrounds to dance, sing and watch decked-out entertainers dance and perform caricatures.
“We’re sort of like comedians and actors,” she said.
Set to kids favorites, such as the Baby Shark Dance or Let it Go from the Disney film “Frozen,” families are encouraged to sing and dance alongside colorful fictional characters such as Tinkerbell, Elsa and Gaston.
Wabaunsee said they have several families — both allied and queer — who regularly attend these events.
And the event is mostly free for families. Admission for children 11 and younger, as well as adults 21 and older, is free. Teen admission for those age 12-18 is $5.
Community response
The event appears to have swept up some Tri-City conservatives into a frenzy of fear, claiming the event would expose children to “obscene content.”
A Facebook post in a private Franklin County Republicans group called for concerned citizens to call Pasco City Hall, Out and About and even the police chief.
“Kids don’t belong at night clubs, sexual burlesque shows, strip clubs or story hours and they don’t belong at drag shows,” wrote one person.
On Tuesday, two Franklin County commissioners said they’d received concerned phone calls and text messages about the event.
Commissioner Rocky Mullen encouraged community members with concerns about the production to report it online.
“Disney really protects their intellectual property. So, if you may have a complaint there, that’s where I would suggest you start,” he said.
Wabaunsee said the show will go on, despite the negativity and “nasty things” people have been saying in messages to her social media accounts.
She declined to talk about that, saying she would rather instead focus on the positivity of the event.
“All I want to see is love and happiness,” she said.
