In an Instagram post published last week, Wendy Napoles, the mother of 11-year-old Desmond Napoles — a so-called “drag kid” known as “Desmond is Amazing” — blasted a “convicted pedophile” blogger for sexualizing her young son, calling his statements “highly inappropriate.” Napoles also took a shot at “conservative media” for allegedly suggesting she is “purposely attracting pedophiles.”
“This is extremely disturbing. Convicted pedophile Tom O’Carroll has written a blog post stating that Desmond is hot & feels sexy performing,” wrote Napoles. “He also sexualizes fellow drag kid Queen Lactatia.”
“We do not approve of his statements & have written to [wordpress.com] several times but they have yet to remove it. It is highly inappropriate to speak of minors in this manner,” the woman continued.
Turning her attention to “conservative media,” Napoles blasted, “First, the Conservative press is currently accusing us of purposely attracting pedophiles & accusing the LGBTQ community of supporting this,” she claimed. “What Tom O’Carroll has said is out of our control & we do not know him or associate with him or any other pedophiles or sex offenders. I think if a pedophile wants to act on their urges, NO child is safe.”
Napoles went on to claim that her preteen son is never sexualized while performing in drag.
“Desmond does not move in a sexual manner or strip, at all,” she claimed. “He has done costume reveals that reveal a fully covered costume underneath. He is never ‘scantily clad’ or nearly naked & always is age appropriate. He does celebrity impersonations & does not choose to do sexy celebrities.”
However, Desmond’s parents made waves last year when the “drag kid” performed a dance number in full drag at a New York City gay bar. As he removed his jacket and bounced around on stage, howling men handed him dollar bills. The jaw-dropping event, captured on video, sparked backlash from the public, calling attention to Napoles seemingly engaging in the sexualization of her own child through such “drag” performances. (The young boy’s website has a link for “bookings,” for example.)
“Desmond does not feel ‘sexy’ in drag,” the boy’s mother wrote. “What he has said is that at times in drag he ‘feels like a boy & a girl at the same time’. This isn’t to mean that Desmond is confused about his gender. He identifies as a boy & uses the pronouns he, him, his, even in drag. To Desmond, drag is dressing up into a character, performing, & expressing oneself through art.”
Napoles claimed her son is “an actor & model,” too.
“Desmond loves what he does & is never forced to do anything,” she wrote. “He chooses everything from his costumes, makeup, songs, etc.”
The mother then started discussing her 11-year-old son’s sexuality, claiming Desmond “came out as gay when he was 11.”
“Although, honestly we knew before then,” she wrote. “He got same sex crushes that he would tell me about. Desmond knows the difference between a heterosexual & homosexual. Just because he identifies as gay does not mean he is sexually active or wants to be. He knows what sex is…he’s in middle school and has had sex education class. Apparently, he said all the kids giggled through the whole course.”
“Anyone discussing anything remotely sexual on Desmond’s social media is immediately blocked & reported. We are just appalled at this whole situation,” Napoles concluded.
Desmond has been pushed as an LGBT advocate, telling The Daily Beast in an interview last year that he’s happy to help “the LGBTQ community fight for our rights,” noting that his parents “love” that he does drag.
“It is really amazing being in the spotlight because I get so much support and I’m an inspiration to so many people, which is one of my number one goals,” Desmond said. “I like all the fame, and helping the LGBTQ community fight for our rights.”
The media and Hollywood players have been quick to promote Desmond’s drag. In December, The Daily Wire recapped just some of the fawning media coverage the young child has garnered:
Desmond was promoted by NBC’s TODAY Show in June. “Meet the 10-year-old ‘drag kid’ taking over social media with inspiring message,” reads the caption video on Desmond. Left-wing site The Daily Beast gushed over Desmond’s drag and his progressive parents in a disturbing piece from February titled, “RuPaul Loves ‘Drag Kid’ Desmond. You Will Too. Fiercely.” The young child has been relentlessly praised and promoted by drag queen RuPaul, the host of VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race. When Desmond was just seven years old, he was featured in a music video for Season Six winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Jinkx Monsoon. In the video, Desmond dances on top of a bar in a red dress, long gloves, and jewelry. As an 8-year-old, the child was introduced on a NYC stage in full-drag by actor Tituss Burgess.
H/t The Blaze