I guess this video is way of saying that the anti-drag queen hysteria sweeping other parts of the country will be coming to South Carolina. It's exasperating to contemplate but there are a lot of things to consider which keep me from being fearful.
For one thing as annoying as the very small number of protestors in the video were, I found their candor refreshing. They basically were saying that they felt drag in itself was lewd and laws should supposedly protect kids from seeing it. When folks have pushed for bans against drag performances in the past, it's after they've riled folks up with anecdotal (and mostly taken out of context or outright lying) social media videos and stories which falsely depict drag queens as 'groomers.'
For another, whatever may happen will be coming on the heels of several victories in which courts have ruled that banning drag under the pretext of "protecting kids from seeing lewd acts" is not legal.
There are already laws on the books which speak about public obscenity and lewdness. Automatically designating drag as obscene ergo "not for kids" based solely upon one's personal opinion simply does not meet the metric.
For every anecdotal video and stories put out on social media designed rile up the base, there are many more videos and stories about clean drag shows and drag queens wearing more clothing than nuns while doing perfectly innocent things like reading to children or performing the same routines one would see cheerleaders do at sporting events.
Bottom line - if you don't want your kids to see drag queens or drag shows, don't take them to see any. You have that right as a parent or a so-called defender of children. But you don't have the right to deem via legislation based upon your own opinion (even with the help of trumped-up evidence) that drag in itself is lewd and obscene. Especially because that belief is simply is not true. You don't get to create artificial standards of civility and decorum which you then attempt to force others to live by.
And creating laws for this goal isn't protecting children. It's basic tyranny.
Editor's note - I must commend the folks in the video who defended Pride in the Park. In the face of the hysteria, they spoke their minds with a simplicity and sincerity which cut through the nonsense. And they are right. In the end, it's all about love and community.
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