A council-sponsored camp to help 14 to 18-year-olds ‘find their drag voice’ has been postponed.
Ticket sales for ‘Drag Camp’, supported by Oxford City Council, have been suspended amid accusations of promoting a ‘queer’ agenda and sexualising children.
T(ART) Productions, the company behind the five-day event, boasts on its website that its “signature style” is “unmistakably camp, queer, and eclectic”.
‘Queer activists’
Publicity for the camp states: “This course is for everyone, including all genders, and is a space to explore self-expression.”
Young people will be helped to create a “daring stage persona” and put together “a look and routine” as they: “Dive into the world of drag and take to the stage”.
Defending the venture, a Council spokesman claimed the camp was “suitable for a youth audience” and an opportunity for “professional performance training”.
But Stephanie Davies-Arai of parent group Transgender Trend questioned why the Council was “encouraging children to participate in the world of adult entertainment”.
Unreasonable
In June, New Mills School in Derbyshire performed a U-turn on plans for its “Drag ‘n’ Rainbows” themed non-uniform day to mark Pride month.
The secondary school had encouraged “all students of all genders to wear something rainbow or colourful”, including “going all out in full-blown drag”.
The event was cancelled following a backlash from parents and staff.
The House of Commons Education Select Committee Chairman, Robin Walker, expressed his concern that teachers are going “beyond what most people would see as reasonable” during Pride month.
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