At least six sponsors withdrew from the Boise Pride festival after learning of a “Drag Kids” show.
Children as young as 11 years old were planning to perform in the drag show, where males typically dress as females and perform provocative and sexual dances.
“The J.R. Simplot Company is aware of some concerns from community members and Simplot customers about our support of the Boise Pride Festival and subsequent programming associated with that event,” reads a statement from Simplot, as reported by The Daily Wire.
“We do not condone any activity or event that may be perceived to exploit or take advantage of children or any other segment of the population.”
Sponsors CapEd Credit Union, Idaho Central Credit Union, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Zion Banks and Idaho Power also withdrew sponsorship over the “Drag Kids” event.
The Boise Pride festival in Idaho subsequently cancelled the event and will instead hold it in a “safe space.”
The Pride event carried on without the event. Thousands of people attended, including the city’s mayor and a prospective politician who was out registering Democratic voters.
The issue of kids twerking on stage has become a partisan issue. Democratic and Republican parties took opposing stances on the Drag Kids show.
The Idaho GOP stated that “the sexualization of children is wrong, full stop.” The Idaho Democratic Party tweeted it has “never let far-right extremists or dangerous lies dictate what we know is the truth and the right thing to do.”
Canada’s Pride movement has produced similar controversy, but most politicians are avoiding the issue.
At an Ottawa Pride event last month, a drag queen invited two children as young as seven on stage to perform the sexual dance move known as twerking. A transgender mayoral candidate walked away without commenting when confronted about the scene.
