GRAND PRAIRIE — A protest at an all-ages drag show devolved into a face-off between neo-Nazis and leftist gun groups on Saturday — the latest and most intense confrontation over the performances which have become a flashpoint in the culture war on LGBTQ rights.
The rally at the Texas Trust CU Theatre was organized by Protect Texas Kids in response to Murray and Peter Present A Drag Queen Christmas, a holiday-themed show featuring performances by alumni from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The stop in Grand Prairie was part of a nationwide tour which also included shows in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi.
Protect Texas Kids, which was founded by University of North Texas alumna Kelly Neidert, seeks to ban children from viewing the performances. Over the past six months, the organization has staged protests outside drag shows in Dallas, Arlington and Roanoke. They were joined at Saturday’s protest by two religious organizations: the Christian nationalist New Columbia Movement and the neo-fascist American Nationalist Initiative.
The right-wing groups were opposed by a coalition of counterprotesters, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and heavily armed members of the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, who were openly carrying rifles that they said were intended to protect the show and those in attendance.
Both sides started rallying on the sidewalk in front of the theater about 2 1/2 hours before the show’s 8 p.m. start. The leftists, dressed in black-bloc-style clothing, blared Christmas music and sirens over loudspeakers to drown out chants from the right-wing groups.
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The rally at the Texas Trust CU Theatre was organized by Protect Texas Kids in response to Murray and Peter Present A Drag Queen Christmas, a holiday-themed show featuring performances by alumni from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The stop in Grand Prairie was part of a nationwide tour which also included shows in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi.
Protect Texas Kids, which was founded by University of North Texas alumna Kelly Neidert, seeks to ban children from viewing the performances. Over the past six months, the organization has staged protests outside drag shows in Dallas, Arlington and Roanoke. They were joined at Saturday’s protest by two religious organizations: the Christian nationalist New Columbia Movement and the neo-fascist American Nationalist Initiative.
The right-wing groups were opposed by a coalition of counterprotesters, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and heavily armed members of the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, who were openly carrying rifles that they said were intended to protect the show and those in attendance.
Both sides started rallying on the sidewalk in front of the theater about 2 1/2 hours before the show’s 8 p.m. start. The leftists, dressed in black-bloc-style clothing, blared Christmas music and sirens over loudspeakers to drown out chants from the right-wing groups.
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