Why Rainbow Room's Queer Prom is center of controversy in Mastriano's plan to ban drag shows
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Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano wants to ban drag shows from public places, and cites a Bucks County resource center for LGBTQ teens and their Queer Prom as an example of the kind of events he is trying to legislate.
Democratic State Sen. Steve Santarsiero of Bucks issued a memo to other state senators Tuesday criticizing the measure and taking issue with what he called mischaracterizations of the Rainbow Room in Doylestown and the event.
Here's what you need to know:
What did Doug Mastriano propose?
The former candidate for governor has proposed banning drag queen shows at public places where minors can attend.
Mastriano cited a drag queen at the Bucks County Rainbow Room’s Queer Prom and four drag queens at an “X-rated” after-school event on school property for high school students in Lancaster County in announcing his legislation.
The ban would classify drag shows as adult-oriented businesses. "Parents have a right to know their children are not being exposed to sexually charged content in a public forum. Drag shows that appeal to minors on school property, libraries, and other public places should not be accepted in any functioning society," Mastriano wrote.
Why is Sen. Steve Santarsiero in the mix?
The Rainbow Room is in the senator's 10th District and he attended the 2020 prom as legislator and a parent of a gay child. He said his younger son had come out as gay about eight months before and was compelled to comment after seeing the proposal.
"What I observed in person in 2020 — and again by watching the video of the 2022 prom — was a large group of teenagers having fun. What struck me, in fact, was that they could have been kids — gay or straight — at any school in the country. ... What was apparent was that each one of them was happy. They were happy to be with their friends and happy to be in a loving environment where it was OK to be themselves,” Santarsiero said.
Santarsiero said he is receiving hate mail, mostly from outside his district and from out of state.
Rainbow Room news:Rainbow Room announces plans to reach more LGBTQ+ youth with second location in Lower Bucks County
What is the Queer Prom at the Rainbow Room?
The Rainbow Room first held its Queer Prom in 2020 and continues it annually.
The Rainbow Room in Doylestown was founded 20 years ago by Planned Parenthood, Santarsiero said, as “a safe place for LGBTQ+ youth to come together and build self-esteem.” It plans to expand to a location in Lower Bucks.
It is widely considered a resource and a safe haven for LGBTQ teens and allies.
The Queer Prom was open to any teen from any school and included dancing, music and other typical prom celebrations.
Santarsiero said that as far as he could surmise, none of the parents in attendance objected to any part of the event or the “swag” bags that contained “condoms, 'lube,' and, perhaps most scandalous for some, information about Planned Parenthood.”
"Having an organization like the Rainbow Room and an event like the Queer Prom can very literally save the lives of kids who otherwise experience feelings of depression and isolation,” Santarsiero said.
Santarsiero said Mastriano’s description of the 2022 prom as “a sexually charged [sic] drag show” was a distortion by someone who was not there.
“As for it being sexually charged, I will not attempt to get into the gentleman’s mind to decipher what exactly he meant by that phrase, although I note that it is one that is most often used by those, who, solely on their own authority, take on the mantel of arbiter of morality in ironic disregard of the biblical admonition against judging. I would simply suggest that it might be a challenge to find a prom in America at which someone would not be offended by what they would consider inappropriate behavior or dress. With that in mind, we should be careful not to hold LGBTQ+ youth to a different standard than that of straight young people,” Santarsiero said.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: PA's Mastriano proposes drag show ban, cites Rainbow Room Queer Prom
