Good morning –

When lawmakers meet in January, should venues hosting drag shows be held to the same laws as other forms of adult entertainment and made inaccessible to minors? Sound off below in the One Click Survey.

But first, continuing our Year In Review, here is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

2022 In Review

• This week we are counting down the top stories we reported in 2022.
    
• Yesterday’s Texas Minute focused on woke academics infiltrating Texas’ public schools… and the invasion taking place at the southern border.
      
• Today, Soli Rice offers a report on the disturbing rise of drag shows targeting children.

Targeting Kids

• While “all-ages” drag events have been held in the past, events explicitly targeting kids with vulgar and highly sexualized content exploded in 2022. The turning point was a June show at a gay bar in Dallas, Mr. Misster. The show’s slogan was “Drag Your Kids To Pride.”
      
• The Mr. Misster program featured men dressed in lingerie or as strippers. They danced in front of children, grabbing their hands and walking them down the center of the bar to a sign that read “It’s not going to lick itself.”
       
• Once the children were directly in front of the sign, they were directed by the men to stand, dance, or walk around for the enjoyment of the patrons.

Nothing ‘Friendly’ About It

• Restaurants, bars, libraries and, even churches, began hosting these events. While advertised as “family-friendly,” they were anything but... Much of the time the children in attendance were brought by single moms or groups of women; not a dad in sight.

      
• Observers reported children were force-fed dollar bills to hand to the perverted men, who in turn shoved the bills into their faux breasts or lingerie. 
      
• A Christmas-themed “all-ages” drag show toured through the state in November and December. The performances were highly sexualized and incredibly graphic, with men wearing lingerie and bondage costumes, and performing simulated sexual acts while dancing provocatively in front of children.

Protests And Counter-Protests

• As the number of these shows proliferated, so did the number of peaceful protests. Quickly, though, the violent leftwing group Antifa was mobilized in counter-protest.
   
• Masked and armed, the counter-protests threatened those opposing the sexualization of children. Other counter-protesters held signs declaring “Hail Satan” and “God is Gay,” while screaming profanities at the protesters.

What’s Next?

• The Texas Family Project has launched a new initiative called Defend Our Kids Texas. TFP's president, Chris Hopper, has explained: "At the grassroots level, parents are waking up in droves and saying, ‘not on my watch!’"
     
• GOP lawmakers have promised to act on these disturbing events, promising to continue filing legislation and fighting for the halt of “all-ages” drag events.
      
• A special documentary on the topic will be released next week by Texas Scorecard. It will explore the rise of drag shows targeting kids, and feature an undercover reporter who has gone inside to see what really happens. The documentary also includes interviews with experts, who describe the effect these shows are having on the kids forced to attend.

TOMORROW: “If It Can Happen There…”

• Pervasive and systemic problems in government schools have been ignored by parents wearing community blinders, telling themselves everything must be fine in the “safe” and “conservative” school districts in which their kids are enrolled.
       
• That just isn’t the case, as will be covered when the Year In Review continues tomorrow…

Starting 2023 Strong!

• The work of Texas Scorecard is made possible only with the generous support of thousands of Texans!
     
• On behalf of the board, I would explicitly seek your prayers for the Texas Scorecard staff as they prepare to dive into 2023. This work sometimes requires them to go into dark places, covering the stories legacy media outlets prefer to ignore.
     
• I would also like for you to consider making a special end-of-year contribution so that we can start the new year off strong! Every tax-deductible contribution is used to reach new people, helping them be better informed so they can be better citizens.

• For those who prefer sending checks, year-end donations must be dated and mailed by Dec. 31, 2022, to Texas Scorecard, PO Box 248, Leander, TX 78646.

Today In History

On Dec. 27, 1944, Texas Aggie Eli Whiteley took heroic action in France that resulted in the loss of his eye, but earned him the Medal of Honor. 

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Minors are prohibited by Texas law from entering strip clubs and X-rated movie theaters, whether their parents approve or not.

Should venues that host drag shows be held to the same standard (age restrictions, taxes, safety, etc.) as other venues of adult entertainment?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!

Your Directory State & Federal Officials

The districts and names displayed here should reflect those taking representational effect on January 1, 2023.