Behind the drag protests in North Texas: Who is picketing, and why queens won’t give in

Kiba Walker learned he could no longer perform in drag at Tulips FTW, a music venue in Fort Worth’s Near Southside, after a fundraiser show that raised nearly $10,000 to help LGBTQ+ youth.

In fact, the venue was done with drag altogether.

About seven people who oppose drag shows that allow parents to bring their children had learned of Walker’s trivia events at Tulips. They stood outside and protested.

While the number of fundraiser supporters inside far outnumbered the picketers outside, Tulips’ owners were told by their landlord they could no longer host drag events. The landlord cited a civil disobedience clause in the lease agreement.

Across North Texas, and around the country, small but vocal groups have targeted drag-related events that have existed for decades and largely become mainstream in recent years — from weekend brunches to LGBTQ+ pride celebrations to “safe space” events for queer youth.

Though their numbers may be relatively small, the activists amplify their message on social media and have succeeded in pressuring business owners, local elected leaders and state lawmakers to scrutinize drag events, often under a banner of protecting children from sexuality content.

The consequences have been profound — at least 140 proposed laws in this year’s Texas legislative session related to LGBTQ people. Restaurants and bars hosting drag shows are hiring security. And in some cases, including in Fort Worth, venues have stopped catering these events.

Three organizations tied to North Texas — the Texas Family Project, its campaign Defend Our Kids Texas, and Protect Texas Kids — are behind many of the protests. Protect Texas Kids alone has planned at least 15 protests since June 2022.

At a Dallas Pride event attended by thousands in Fair Park this month, 12 people protested with Protect Texas Kids, and eight came with the New Columbia Movement, a Christian nationalist group.

But in pockets across North Texas, performers and some venues say they remain undeterred, despite the frequent threats. Drag, they say, isn’t going anywhere.

Who’s behind the surge in drag protests?

When Kelly Neidert began nonprofit Protect Texas Kids, the University of North Texas grad from Little Elm had already made headlines for anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric on campus.

Neidert, who once described herself as a “Christian fascist” with a sunglasses-wearing smiley emoji on Twitter, told the Star-Telegram she formed the nonprofit to fight against “the sexualization of children.” Drag events are inherently sexual, she said, and children should not be able to attend.

Neidert said she has never been to a drag event, where performers typically lip sync as a character or celebrity, but has seen footage of performances.

As the founder of Protect Texas Kids, Neidert has planned protests throughout the Metroplex. The group does not have official members, she told the Star-Telegram, and instead is made up of volunteers who show up to protest.

At Dallas Pride in Fair Park, a protester from Rockwall County said she attended the protest because, “I don’t like the idea of kids being exposed to sexually explicit shows, period.” She only gave her first name, Antonia, and said she heard about Protect Texas Kids when Neidert spoke at a True Texas Project event. The True Texas Project was founded as the NE Tarrant Tea Party and was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s national list of extremist groups in March 2022.

Neidert said she raises money by speaking to conservative groups. Protect Texas Kids is identified as a 501(c)4 or social welfare organization on its website, but the Star-Telegram did not find the group’s required legal documents in the Internal Revenue Service database.

Defend Our Kids Texas was started by Texas Family Project in coordination with Sara Gonzales, host of “The News and Why It Matters” on conservative media channel BlazeTV. On Tucker Carlson’s now-defunct FOX News show, Gonzales said kids attending drag shows is “sexual abuse.” She did not respond to requests for an interview.

The group’s stated mission is to “expose the depravity of the left” and “fight for sound public policy.” Defend Our Kids Texas does not identify what type of organization it is. Like Protect Texas Kids, the Star-Telegram did not find required legal documents for Defend Our Kids Texas in the Internal Revenue Service database.

Despite the groups’ similar missions and tactics, Neidert said, Protect Texas Kids has not coordinated with Defend Our Kids Texas.

Neidert and Protect Texas Kids have, however, protested alongside white supremacist groups, including Patriot Front, Aryan Freedom Network and the New Columbia Movement, as well as This is Texas Freedom Force, which the FBI has designated as an extremist militia.

When asked about the collaboration, Neidert described Protect Texas Kids as “very friendly” with the New Columbia Movement. Her group started fundraising to pay medical and legal bills for New Columbia Movement members who were pepper-sprayed by leftist counter-protesters outside Fort Brewery, which was hosting a drag show in April.

‘I think we should all be concerned’

The intersection of groups like Protect Texas Kids and the New Columbia Movement is a new phenomenon that speaks to the mainstreaming of fringe ideology, said Marilyn Mayo, a senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism.

“What we’re seeing is this kind of normalization of more extreme views,” Mayo said, adding that the right has responded to progressive changes by defending what conservatives consider traditional values.

“The fact that people are using lies and false tropes, we have seen that before in history and it never leads to anything good, it leads to hatred and violence,” Mayo said. “And we are already seeing that this is resulting in more attacks for not just the drag community, but the LGBTQ community in general. I think we should all be concerned about it.”

While this wave of drag-related national panic seems new, “female impersonation” has existed in some form in Fort Worth for more than a century.

As early as 1899, female impersonators were attracting mainstream audiences downtown, said Todd Camp, founder of YesterQueer, the Fort Worth Gay History Project. In fact, Fort Worth’s celebration of the Texas Centennial in 1936 — sponsored by Amon Carter, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher — featured four female impersonators as the opening attraction.

Over the century, drag has persisted in North Texas as part of LGBTQ+ culture, both underground and in mainstream venues. Fort Worth’s first gay bar, the Anchor, opened in 1953.

“Drag is a massive part of pop culture, a huge part of Fort Worth,” Camp said.

Today, the content of drag performances rages widely. Drag performers, like any performers, tailor their shows for the setting and audience, Camp noted.

“The assumption that a drag performer is going to do the same kind of show for a group of children while reading a story that they would in a nightclub at 11:30 is just ridiculous,” Camp said.

During the Dallas Pride, Sarah and Geno Sanchez of McKinney said they found an all-ages drag show appropriate for their two children, who are 5 and 10. Some of the performers impersonated celebrities including Cuban singer Celia Cruz and Tejano star Selena.

“We have some family and friends who are part of the community, and we don’t want the kids to think that it’s anything different than any other kind of fest or celebration,” said Sarah Sanchez.

Plus, “If it was inappropriate in any way, you could just walk away,” Geno Sanchez said.

‘I fully expect ... we could be targeted’

Defend Our Kids Texas has a form on its website that allows visitors to report drag shows, especially those that allow children.

Planned protests are circulated on social media via Facebook events. Gonzales amplifies events to her more than 300,000 Twitter followers. (Neidert’s account is currently suspended.)

Protests and videos of shows have caught the attention of local and state politicians whose responses belie the fact that most Americans do not support laws restricting drag performances, according to an NPR-PBS Marist poll conducted in March.

“This is where the real world impact comes in, where businesses say, ‘Sorry, we’re not going to allow you to do these shows,” said Mayo of the Anti-Defamation League.

Online harassment against businesses and performers often goes hand-in-hand with protests.

Before a scheduled drag brunch at Fort Brewery, the restaurant venue north of the Cultural District, Protect Texas Kids posted the business’s phone number and told people to “ask them to change or cancel the event.” While the post urged against threats, staff received harassing calls, according to Aaron Hoernke, brewery’s marketing director.

About a dozen people showed up. Some held signs that read, “Stop sexualizing minors” and “Stop grooming children.” Several were pepper-sprayed by a leftist counter-protester, who was arrested along with two others.

At Tulips FTW, one-star Google reviews began to fill the bar’s business page after a similar protest.

“I’m all for freedom of speech, expression and who you want to be and love,” wrote one user, who appears to live in Florida. “But I do draw the line at Drag Queen shows meant to expose young children to things regardless of who or what is NOT for them.”

Businesses that continue to host shows are preparing for potential backlash.

Funky Picnic Brewery & Cafe in the Southside started hosting a drag brunch in 2021. By January 2022, the restaurant’s biweekly brunches sold out. This year, it added an 18-plus Drag After Dark show in the adjoining bar.

Samantha Glen, who co-owns Funky Picnic with Collins Zreet, is working with fellow members of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild on a sort of marketing crisis guide for drag shows. The guide includes tips on how to deal with harassment, information on zoning laws and updates on legislation.

Funky Picnic has hosted an all-ages drag show twice a month for more than two years, but the restaurant has not been protested.

“I fully expect that after this press, we could be targeted,” she said.

Despite the “sticky climate” that has enveloped Texas drag, Glen said, she has never considered abandoning the events.

“If anything, it has made me even more protective of that community,” she said. “I’m trying to create a safe space for them and (make sure) that they can continue to perform.”

Glen points out that Fort Worth is a growing city with an economy that relies heavily on visitors from around the world.

“Our city has been trying to increase tourism, and if we’re excluding whole groups of people, then it’s going to be hard to grow that tourism. They are going to go to our neighboring cities rather than coming to somewhere where they’re not going to be welcome.”

‘In a wig and 35 pounds of makeup’

Kiba Walker, the performer who hosted trivia at Tulips FTW before the venue stopped allowing drag, said he discovered his persona, Salem Moon, about seven years ago.

“(Drag) is just like any other performance art, except we do it in a wig and 35 pounds of makeup,” said Walker, who uses she/her pronouns when in drag.

Walker regularly hosted trivia as Moon at Tulips. For a year and a half, the events built up a dedicated audience at Sips & Quips.

That changed on March 27, when Protect Texas Kids circulated an online flier about the all-ages event. When Walker and Tulips’ owners heard about the protest, they decided to turn the trivia night into a fundraiser for LGBTQ Saves, a nonprofit that helps queer youth. What began as a typical trivia night became a full-scale drag show with a crowd of more than 300 people and multiple performances.

Outside of the building, six or seven protesters, including Neidert and Gonzales, held signs in opposition to the show. One sign read, “Pedophiles get the rope.”

The protesters were far outnumbered by counter-protesters, including armed members of the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, who waved rainbow flags and argued with the anti-drag groups. The fundraiser raised $9,5000 for LGTBQ+ Saves.

Walker left the night feeling proud and invigorated.

The next day, Walker met with Tulips’ owner and personal friend Jason Suder. Sitting at the bar with Walker, Suder broke the news: Tulips would not host any more drag events — not even 18-or-older events.

Suder told the Star-Telegram he was not able to comment.

It took fewer than a dozen protesters to end Tulips’ trivia nights.

“It’s crazy to see that a small amount of people created all this chaos,” said Sharon Herrera, founder and executive director of LGBTQ Saves. “And people are listening to them.”

‘I’m still going to fight back’

On March 28, Tayler Hansen, a right-wing freelance writer who attended the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and has appeared on Tucker Carlson to discuss drag shows, tweeted a video of Walker performing as Salem Moon. Hansen attended the Tulips show and claimed Salem Moon had “exposed” herself to the crowd.

Hansen’s tweet garnered hundreds of comments. Walker said he received death threats on social media.

Two months later, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare asked state Comptroller Glenn Hegar to look into the drag show, saying elected officials “must take action to protect our children from indecency and sexualization.”

Walker said that while performing at Tulips, he wore a pair of opaque shorts, six layers of opaque tights, two pairs of fishnet stockings and a body shaper on top. He said nothing inappropriate happened during the show, and he won’t be deterred by protesters.

“I’m still gonna fight back because I don’t believe in being pushed back into the closet,” Walker said.

Patrick Mikyles is a fellow drag queen who performs at Red Goose Saloon in downtown Fort Worth and owns his own drag production company, Patrick Mikyles Presents, LLC.

“I’m not only just a drag performer. I’m the actual business owner. This is my livelihood,” said Mikyles. “I’m just more determined to push forward to see an end to this, especially since I have such a platform here in Fort Worth. If I don’t use it, I’d be doing a disservice to the rest of the community.”

When Mikyles started seeing news of protests and proposed bans this year, he switched his shows to 18-plus to avoid problems at his shows.

‘Not in line with our values’

The clashes aren’t limited to restaurants and bars.

In May, the Pride group in Grayson County northeast of Dallas hosted a prom for LGBTQ+ teenagers. The idea was to create a safe celebration where youth who could be themselves.

Neidert and Gonzales learned of the event and publicized plans for a protest. That worried Sarah Meyers, the president of the Pride group, who planned to hold the prom outdoors. She secured an event space owned by First United Methodist Church and spent that week closely monitoring social media for threats.

About 15 protesters showed up because a journalist for a conservative news organization purchased a ticket and leaked the location, Meyers said. Among the protesters was Sherman school board member Anna Wiley, seen in a photo holding a sign that read, “What are you confused about?”

School district spokesperson Meghan Cone told the Star-Telegram via email: “Neither the event nor the protest was school related. No one in attendance was representing the district or acting in an official capacity as a school trustee.”

After the event, First United Methodist Church received death threats, Meyers said. The church released a statement that said in part: “The entertainment of that night was not shared with us before the event and is not in line with our values.”

Moving forward, Meyers said their events will be hosted on private property, and the group will amp up police presence when necessary.

Will Texas see fewer drag shows?

Opponents of drag are celebrating multiple legislative wins this session.

Senate Bill 12, which is sitting on Gov. Abbott’s desk, would criminalize sexual conduct in front of a minor on public property. On June 2, Texas became the 19th state to ban gender-affirming care for minors.

Neidert expects SB 12 to “take care of” the kinds of drag shows her group opposes. “If it doesn’t, we’ll continue protesting,” she said.

SB 12 doesn’t specifically name drag shows and purportedly aims to keep children from attending such events.

The bill is written so broadly that it could have a chilling effect on all businesses that host drag shows, said Johnathan Gooch, communications director at Equality Texas, an LGBTQ+ political advocacy organization.

And that would mean a loss of places where queer people feel safe and comfortable, and losses in revenue for businesses that cater to the LGBTQ+ community.

“Hosting a drag show is a really straightforward way to signal: This business is a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community,” Gooch said. “Hosting a drag show is a really simple way for businesses to increase their patrons.”

Neidert said that chilling effect is exactly what she is hoping for.

In a Facebook video posted May 23, Neidert said she hopes venues “are too scared to host any of those events because they’re scared of breaking the law.”

“Hopefully we do see that chilling effect and some of those venues stop hosting those shows because they are disgusting,” she said in the video.

‘I am worried. I am scared. But not for me.’

Although the fraught state of drag in Texas has raised fears over safety, leaders in LGBTQ+ communities have vowed to continue doing what they do.

Walker, for example, may no longer host trivia at Tulips, but he is busier than ever. In June, he estimated, he will spend about 120 hours performing or appearing in drag across the Metroplex. Even his show Sips & Quips, the trivia event that originally drew so much ire at Tulips, has found a new home at Urban Cowboy Saloon in Fort Worth.

Attacks on drag are just the latest way extremists are trying to force queer people back in the closet, Walker said. He and fellow drag queen Mikyles are not going anywhere, but the increasingly hostile climate in Texas does worry them.

Like Neidert, he worries mostly about kids — not that they could be exposed to drag shows, but that they could be targeted for being themselves.

“I am worried. I am scared. But not for me,” said Mikyles. “I know where I stand and where I’m at, but I’m more scared for the children and the parents and any allies that might be pushed away from nurturing their children out of fear.”