'Disturbing' film of child being involved in drag queen performance

[Iggypoppie]

Not sure of context but doesn't seem right to have a child being surrounded by adults cheering on a drag artist with arse handing out crawling on all fours towards a scared/overwhelmed looking child.

I think it speaks of a culture where parents are so afraid of not looking open minded that they don't consider the child's feelings.

twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1233355261622063104?s=20

Yanbu = yes it appears like bad parenting choices
Yabu = it's fine, I'd be happy if this was my child

This is storing up some very messed up adults of the future. Kids should be protected and allowed to be children.

Exposing them to such sexualised images and showing it as normal is wrong.

Flabbergasted by the ignorance?

Drag queens aren’t the issue. Men in drag aren’t the issue. The erosion of boundaries is the issue and that is in no way, shape or form ‘ignorant’. This video, the video of Desmond Is Amazing dancing for men and money, these are serious lapses that seem to be becoming more frequent and absolutely justify both the horror and the questions of why the hell is going on. It’s so strange that so many people who think there’s ‘no problem’ seem to be unable to see when there IS a problem. Seems counterproductive.

Kids see drag every time panto season comes round. Panto has been around for a very long time so it's not a sudden erosion of boundaries for men to dress as women and perform for family entertainment.

And yet, in the panto shows my kids have watched, the actors in drag still don’t crawl suggestively towards the audience with their arse cheeks hanging out.

Men in drag as the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella is funny for many children. Men in drag crawling suggestively on the floor with naked arses - not so much.

Kids see drag every time panto season comes round. Panto has been around for a very long time so it's not a sudden erosion of boundaries for men to dress as women and perform for family entertainment

Exactly. It isn’t the fact that it is drag per se that is the issue. I have seen many panties and have NEVER seen a child involved in an interaction like this.

I agree with the pp who stated that this is full on societal grooming. As shown by some of the crazy responses on this thread.

Well I don’t see all this sexually suggestive stuff that you say doesn’t provoke outrage. I would be equally outraged if I did.

Absolutely.

A woman in hot pants and heels crawling suggestively along the floor towards a child while
watching adults clap and cheer would be just as concerning.

Oh god, pantos, not panties

A few years ago friends of ours (who don't have kids and hang out mostly with other people who don't have kids or who have grown up kids) had a housewarming party which we went along to with our kids. There were some other kids there, but by about 9pm all of the other kids had gone home and we were the only ones left. The adults were starting to get well oiled and my son was dancing with a bloke that we didn't really know, surrounded by people that we didn't really know cheering them on.

Now, not for one second did I think this guy or anyone else had any bad intentions towards my child or anything like that, not in the slightest. They were all having a great time, including my son he was loving it! But the sight of my little boy surrounded by adults I didn't know that well, getting increasingly drunk, him being the only child there.... I don't know, it set off something in me, a sort of protective instinct and we decided to leave soon after. It wasn't a big deal, I just didn't want to be there anymore?

And my son was having a much better time than the little girl in the video looks like she is having. What is wrong with these parents? Does something not kick in with them?

I have also seen suggestions that the video is fake, and I bloody well hope it is. But then, even on this thread, people are defending it, so it does make me wonder where the line is for some people?

Yes that should not have happened.
But I do think the outrage is fuelled by homophobia

Did you also think it was homophobic to object to a man wanking and pissing in fetish gear in the toilets of the nspcc and uploading the films?

Or could it just be that the behaviour regardless of sexuality is inappropriate

Loving that typo!

‘she wasnt being coerced she was not being groomed.’

What was it that was happening? What is to put a child on a seat alone in the middle of a venue making her the focus of the performance? The adults ignored her visible discomfort, every single one of them, including her mother AND the performer.

‘Kids see drag every time panto season comes round. Panto has been around for a very long time so it's not a sudden erosion of boundaries for men to dress as women and perform for family entertainment.’

A pantomime dame wouldn’t dress like that, or do that.

@nolongersurprised

Don't forget to add 'flat earther' to the list

I completely get where you’re coming from OP.
The importance of safeguarding children seems to be counter-balanced by the social acceptance argument in a very warped way. People are uncomfortable voicing their concerns in case they are accused of being: prudes, sexist, homophobic, narrow-minded and so on.
The main argument always seems to be something like: “so you want to bubble-wrap your child and hide them away...”. We don’t seem to have got to the point where we can respond with “Nope, that is a bullshit argument, this is inappropriate plain and simple”.

So far, most people are focused on the drag aspect of the video, now try to look at it from the point of view of the child.

Many abusive practices (such as FGM) are demanded by the men and enforced by the women; this breaks the bond of trust between women, and between mother and child.
The child in the video has learned that she can be exposed to a frightening or confusing situation, and her mother will go along with it.

She has learned the adults she depends on won't listen to her fears, the safest response to fear is to freeze and wait for the situation to end.
She has learned she does not have a voice.
And at some point she is going to find this video of herself online.

Simply flabbergasted at some of the ignorance on this thread

Yeah, that shit doesn't wash anymore I'm afraid. Shutting down discussion with 'homophobic... Ignorant... Transphobic... Right wing....flat earthers... Etc' isn't going to stop people talking about child safeguarding I'm afraid.

It weird how people think objections to this are based in homophobia. I’m willing to bet that most people objecting here, on mumsnet, also object to the general sexualisation and objectification of women, the creeping sexualisation of children, beauty pageantry, child beauty pageantry etc. In short - the supposed ‘dog whistle’ of safeguarding extends far beyond this increasingly narrow idea of ‘diversity’.

She has learned the adults she depends on won't listen to her fears, the safest response to fear is to freeze and wait for the situation to end

and when she goes to school she will also be told that any negative reaction is basically a hate crime.

But no it's not grooming at all

@Thelnebriati yes that's why I find it sad as well. The child needs the parents to advocate and err on the side of caution not use her to score woke points with their peers.

Love the panties typo

I'm more concerned that the child and her family are completely identifiable and are being discussed in forums like this all over the world. I don't think that video should have been posted here or elsewhere.

*@nolongersurprised

Don't forget to add 'flat earther' to the list*

I wasn’t sure about how that one fit.

Being a conspiracy theorist and anti-science didnt seem to naturally ally itself with believing children shouldn’t be exposed to sexualised shows. In fact, most of the scientists and medical researchers I know are fairly socially conservative.

I did consider it but decided it was an insult that was poorly reasoned

She has learned the adults she depends on won't listen to her fears, the safest response to fear is to freeze and wait for the situation to end.
She has learned she does not have a voice.
And at some point she is going to find this video of herself online.

Excellent and heartbreaking post, Thelnebriati

Oh god, pantos, not panties

Judging by some of the photos I've seen if all you can see is panties you're probably quite lucky! Which, again, is why children should not be at these events.

I think anyone (m/f/drag/trans whatever) doing that in front of a child is weird. Poor kid probably felt strange about it.

“ I'm more concerned that the child and her family are completely identifiable and are being discussed in forums like this all over the world.”

If this is real, that’s good in that child services might be able to track them down.