Methow Pride’s annual drag show fundraiser is back, but this time without the littlest kids.
Dubbed “Your Big Queer Prom,” the fundraiser this year will admit teens and up from 7-9 pm this Saturday, according to Methow Pride’s flyer. From 9 pm to 11, the party shifts to those 21 years of age and older.
It is a marked change from last year, when the event brought controversy for inviting young children to what some saw as sexualized drag performances. Advertised as an “all ages” event, it was interpreted by some as a family event.
Snowball is an annual prom held during the interval when winter turns to spring. It was started in mountain communities as a way to get out and socialize when people get “stir crazy” from winter, organizer Kelly Edwards explained last year.
However, all did not go as planned. A group of Christian men stood on a public sidewalk in front of the grange encouraging people not to bring their children to the event. The main problem, some of the men said, was the presence of children at an event where adults in drag performed provocative dance sequences.
Mike Liu, one of the men outside the event, said he would not have been there if it weren’t for the children entering the event.
“…if the event was for adults only, I would not have been there in person because I was not trying to push my own faith and moral beliefs on others. I was there for the minors who don’t know better and don’t really have a voice to say drag shows are not appropriate for minors, regardless of faith, background or gender,” said Liu.
A scuffle ensued when one of the grange board members dropped an f** bomb and tried to shove one of the men in the group and pry his fingers from the grange’s railing.
One of the Christian men reported hearing, “Stay away from the angry white men.”
Edwards said there was more comaraderie between the men and the organizers than was presented to the press. Nevertheless, the grange board took additional measures this year such as prohibiting solicitation and distribution of materials not authorized by the grange, according to Methow Pride’s Facebook page and Methow Valley News.
The fundraiser will be held at the Twisp Grange from 7-9 pm on Saturday, March 15. For more information, visit https://www.methowpride.org/upcoming-events/event-three-hdltm
To read about the controversy surrounding last year’s event, click here.
