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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Drag Syndrome?

32 replies

Trinity333 · 30/01/2019 19:05

Quite disturbed by something I’ve come across and would love your opinions on this to help me decide if it’s something I should be getting upset about!. I’m the mum of a little boy with Downs Syndrome so appreciate that might be the case, although the comments on the linked article suggest many others are also disgusted. Thank you in advance.

www.lifesitenews.com/news/drag-syndrome-lgbt-activist-creates-drag-show-using-males-suffering-with-do

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Skyzalimit · 30/01/2019 22:24

I know one of those guys and he gets so much out of it. He's a balanced person with an interesting and fulfilling life. He teaches others performing arts and has this incredible skill of drawing people out.

Calvinsmam · 30/01/2019 21:53

Oh I’m torn on this.

I know a young man with Down syndrome who would LOVE this, he’s very aware of his sexuality and loves dressing up in drag and being fabulous and though he’s got a disability he’s an adult and this would make his life.

It depends on the tone for me. I love drag when it’s ‘everyone just being fabulous’ and men and women can both join in and gender bend.
But if it’s more ‘female impersonation’ I’m less comfortable with it.

NeurotrashWarrior · 30/01/2019 21:32

Gut reaction is that it's poor taste and potentially exploiting young people who don't have full awareness in a side show kind of way; at the same time, an adult with syndrome could make the choice to participate and I know many people with ds love the stage and performing.

Plenty of drama groups out there though.

NeurotrashWarrior · 30/01/2019 21:29

Gut reaction is that it's poor taste and potentially exploiting young people who don't have full awareness in a side show kind of way; at the same time, an adult with syndrome could make the choice to participate and I know many people with ds love the stage and performing.

Plenty of drama groups out there though.

Trinity333 · 30/01/2019 21:00

Yes the comments are mixed and vary in their reasons for objecting., many seem quite homophobic as you said. Down’s is such a spectrum that’s it is difficult to tell how much the participants are aware of what they are taking part in. I know my son would let people dress him up and dance around thinking it was great, but he would have no idea what he was consenting to. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.

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Fallingirl · 30/01/2019 20:20

The comments are a mixed bag. I agree with the ones arguing that men with Downs syndrom are being used by the organisers to show off how inclusive they are, and if they genuinely wanted to be inclusive they could have just invited the men along and hung out with them as friends.

But the ones talking about “the gay agenda” and juxtaposing “innocent” men with Downs and “perverts” are genuinely intolerant. They also seem to construct people with Downs as too innocent and childlike to have a sexuality, let alone a lgbt one.

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