The venue in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas has decided to cease permitting “all ages” drag queen performances after undercover journalists released footage from a recent event.
Tulips, a live music venue, found itself embroiled in controversy when independent journalist Tayler Hansen shared a video on March 28, 2023.
The recording captured scenes from inside the establishment during an “all ages” drag queen show held the previous night.
Allegations of inappropriate behavior at the all-ages event
In a tweet, Hansen reported on an “All Ages” Drag Show held at Tulips in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where a drag queen allegedly exposed their crotch to young audience members while sitting with legs apart.
Hansen also claimed that parents encouraged their children to give money to the performers and wave trans flags.
According to Hansen’s tweet, Sara Gonzales was prevented from entering the event and had her ID checked to prevent her from exposing what was happening inside.
Yesterday an “All Ages” Drag Show was hosted at Tulips DFW, TX.
During the show, a drag queen sat with his legs open and exposed his crotch to children in the crowd.
Children were being encouraged by parents to hand money to the Drag Queens and wave Trans flags around.… pic.twitter.com/QQQYLESdz7
— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) March 28, 2023
Sara Gonzales, host of BlazeTV’s “The News & Why It Matters,” tried to enter the venue, but was identified and denied access at the entrance. Later, a performer was caught on video boasting about how the journalist was barred from entry.
Gonzales took to Twitter to share her experience of being denied entry to an all-ages drag show. She claimed a drag queen boasted about her removal and suggested she would drink wine alone at home.
Citizen journalists capture footage of controversial drag show
Two weeks later, on April 10, 2023, Gonzales announced a victory in her campaign against Tulips, revealing the venue’s landlord decided to no longer host all-ages drag shows after seeing undercover footage from the event.
Gonzales declared the news as a victory in her fight against such events.
🚨 VICTORY!! 🚨
Tulips confirmed with us that they will NO LONGER host “all ages” drag shows at their venue. Their landlord saw our coverage and said ABSOLUTELY NOT!🙌🏽👏🏽Big thanks to our citizen journalists for capturing footage and @TaylerUSA for this video: https://t.co/0YHqceLBBV
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) April 11, 2023
In an interview with The Blaze, Gonzales revealed that upon arriving at the all-ages drag show, she was denied entry by security who had been instructed not to allow her in by the venue.
Unbeknownst to them, Gonzales had a team of citizen journalists inside the venue capturing footage of the performances, which included tips being given to performers by children.
Gonzales, who is also the executive director of Defend Our Kids: Texas, confirmed that Tulips’ staff had been informed by their landlord that hosting another child-targeted drag show would result in their eviction.
She attributed the victory to activism, pressure, and the power of sunlight as a disinfectant.
This article appeared in TheDailyBeat and has been published here with permission.
