Private Drag Show Coming To Downtown Warsaw Upsets Some

A private drag show coming to downtown Warsaw has upset some people who are now threatening to boycott the business where the show is being staged and protest the show because minors might be allowed to attend.

The event will be held at Courthouse Coffee on the Square, 108 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw, owned by Travis and Sara McConnell.

Shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday, after Monday's newspaper was sent off to the presses, Travis contacted the Times-Union and said a decision was made that no one under 18 would be allowed to attend the drag show. 

Asked about the details of the drag show, Travis, a local attorney, said, “It’s a private event. They’re not publicizing it to the public, so I can’t give you any details. You’d have to reach out to the organizers directly.”

According to a flyer provided by a third party, the “Love is a Drag! Valentine’s Drag Show” is Feb. 18, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the show starting at 6 p.m.

A drag show is a piece of entertainment consisting of a variety of songs, monologues or skits featuring either single performers or groups of performers in drag meant to entertain an audience, according to a definition on Wikipedia.org.

Travis said Courthouse Coffee on the Square is available for private events and the drag show is one of four private events that have been booked so far. Travis said he didn’t know how the organizers were promoting the event, but they rented the space for a private event.

A number of comments about the drag show can easily be found on social media, especially Facebook, for and against it. Those for it point out that several downtown Warsaw businesses have flown Pride flags in the past during the month of June, known as Pride month in the LGBTQ+ community. Those against the event say it promotes sin and that people should protest it.

Travis responded to the online outrage by saying, “People are free to exercise their First Amendment rights if they feel that they want to. Everybody’s entitled to their opinions. I support that. We’re a business that is open to supporting everybody in the community regardless of who they are. We have groups here for Bible study. We have groups here for all sorts of things. So if they feel like they need to protest us for being a business that is open to the public that doesn’t discriminate, then I suppose they can boycott us for that.”

He said the law requires them to serve the public.

One comment previously posted on the Courthouse Coffee on the Square Facebook page brought up the drag show and said, “Guess you will be closing kids corner from now on? Hopefully that was just a rumor.”

A response posted by the Courthouse Coffee social media handler stated, “Hello! We here at Courthouse Coffee love and support everyone in our community. We are also a rentable event space. The shop has been rented for a drag show that will be put on after we have closed. The show is rated PG-13 so children are welcome at the discretion of their parents.”

That response generated many negative comments about “groomers targeting our kids” and “How can anyone think it’s ok to expose kids to this sexual perversion?!?”

Travis, referring to the PG-13 rating and the event is up to parents’ discretion post, said, “I think that’s what the organizers have been saying. The person who manages our social media initially put that, I think, on her response. That since has been taken down because we’re not promoting the event. We’re here just to be used as the event space. We’re here to host them. I think she had copied that from stuff they were sharing otherwise. I think that’s how the private group is marketing it to their followers, whoever they are.”

Monica Boyer, a concerned mom, offered this statement about the drag show: “I am deeply concerned about the impact of this type of activity coming to our community. I’ve seen intense harm to minors that drag shows bring, and the grooming that comes with these shows. We have seen the initial statement from Courthouse Coffee: ‘The show is rated PG-13 so children are welcome at the discretion of their parents.’ Courthouse Coffee removed that statement after we showed the public, but has not released a statement that minors are NOT allowed to attend, only that they are going to be silent on the subject. This is NOT ok. It’s deeply concerning.”

She continued that businesses and people are free to operate as they choose, but with freedom comes a “responsibility to protect children and what is good for a community. When minors are involved in a sexualized activity, this is an entirely different topic, and for that I speak out. It is not innocent and it is not cute. This type of activity is no different than attending a strip club and even the possibility of minors being there is mind-boggling to me.”

Boyer said she is deeply troubled at what is happening in the community.

“I believe we can both love each other, AND protect our youth from harm at the same time,” she said. Her statement included links to a Fox News segment titled “Drag queen says kids should never be allowed at shows.”

The city of Warsaw does have ordinances in place regarding sexually-oriented businesses, though a drag show does not necessarily contain sexual references. It can be as simple as a costumed performer dancing and lip-synching to music.

Sexually-oriented business means an adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult novelty store, adult video store, adult cabaret, adult hotel/motel, adult motion picture theater, adult theater, nude/semi-nude model studio or sexual encounter center, according to the city’s updated ordinances passed in 2017.

Sexually-oriented entertainment activity means the sale, rental or exhibition for any form of consideration, of books, films, videocassettes, magazines, periodicals or live performances which are characterized by an emphasis on the exposure specified anatomical areas or display of specified sexual activities, the ordinances state.

Adult cabaret, according to the ordinance, means nightclub, bar, restaurant or similar commercial establishment which regularly features: a. persons who appear in a state of nudity/semi-nudity; or b. live performances which are characterized by the exposure of specified anatomical areas or by specified sexual activities; or c. films, motion pictures, video cassettes, slides or other photographic reproductions which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified anatomical areas or specified sexual activities.

Regarding the city ordinances, Travis said, “It’s a drag show. It’s not adult entertainment. It seems that people are confused by what a strip club is versus a drag show.”

The organizer of the private event provided the following statement: “What I do have is a passion for theatre and performance art which is all that drag really is. Drag isn’t in its nature inherently sexual, it’s costuming and makeup design, it’s creativity and performance art. ... Parents let their kids partake in drag ANY TIME they let their kids partake in theatre with extravagant costumes and makeup because that’s all drag is. The way it is presented is up to the performer themselves, not the art itself.”

Travis also shared a statement posted on the Courthouse Coffee’s Facebook page. It states, “We support all members of our community. We strive to make our space a welcoming place for everyone. We are currently working on making it more accessible by adding an ADA-compliant restroom and continue to build upon our children’s area as well as other features. We have Bible studies, a World War II veteran group, teachers, engineers, officers, artists, first responders, nonprofits, bankers, local entrepreneurs and many more of our wonderful community who enjoy our drinks, food and space. We hope you will, too.”