Two New York City Pride events held over the weekend stirred up controversy as drag marchers chanted slogans about targeting children while hundreds of attendees allegedly danced naked in front of minors.
On Friday, a group of drag queens and transgender activists dressed in flamboyant garb for the “NYC Drag March” at Tompkins Square Park and marched across the East Village toward the Stonewall Inn to kick off the city’s weekend events.
Viral footage captured by Timcast News shows marchers, including a topless woman, chanting, “We’re here! We’re queer! We’re coming for your children!”
Although some claim the chant was sarcasm in response to allegations that factions within the LGBTQ community intend to “groom” children, the messaging still sparked outrage among Americans fighting to protect youth.
“This movement grooms minors to have mastectomies and castration and fuels a multi billion dollar medical child abuse industry,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tweeted while urging Congress to pass the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” a bill that would restrict so-called “gender-affirming care” procedures.
“Let kids be kids,” she added.
“We’re here we’re queer and we’re coming for your children!”
This movement grooms minors to have mastectomies and castration and fuels a multi billion dollar medical child abuse industry.
Pass the Protect Children’s Innocence Act.
Let kids be kids.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) June 24, 2023
“And these people seriously wonder why society is turning against us?!” the official Twitter account of Gays Against Groomers posted. “SICKENING. These people are doing more harm to our community than any actual bigot could ever hope to.”
The drag march, first launched in 1994 as a protest when Pride March officials exiled drag queens from their event out of fear it would deter sponsorship from corporations, has been known for its problematic politics and flashy costuming.
Less than 24 hours later during the “New York City Dyke March,” half-naked men and women danced and played in a Washington Square Park fountain, reportedly in front of children.
Savanah Hernandez, a Frontlines reporter for Turning Point USA, captured footage of the display, which showed children playing with inflatable objects designed to look like “clitorises” supplied by the women participating in the event. The unsponsored march on Saturday marked the group’s 31st annual event. This year’s theme — “Not Your F***ing Body, Not Your F***ing Business.”
Pride Month activities will conclude on Sunday with an annual parade commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Riots — a series of spontaneous demonstrations by the LGBTQ community in response to police raids.
Many of the NYC events this year called on the LGBTQ community to unite against legislative bills that would impose age restrictions for drag shows and policies banning sex-change medical procedures on minors.
Roughly 400 LGBTQ groups are involved in organizing Pride events in major U.S. cities.