Nearly 12-year-old wants to attend Pride and we have said no

[EdgyAzureBee]

My nearly 12 DD recently came out as bisexual and wants to go to a pride event. DP (who’s her father) and I both think she’s too young, don’t want her exposed to gender ideology and we said she can’t go. She’s now v angry with us even thou I explained to her why we said no and told her that we always love her. Just trying to do what we think the best thing is for her. She has a class mate she made friends with who is a ‘they’ and she became v interested in this whole thing. I totally didn’t expect her to come out with this so young.
DP and I both have been to pride before (him due to work me socially) and neither of us thinks she should go although DP thinks it’s more like a fayre but I know they sell sexual stuff that I’d not want an 11 y.o. see. She is not happy we said no and keeps pestering us.
My friends agree with our decision, what are your opinions here? I’m new to this so please be kind

I absolutely agree with your decision. She is far too young to get involved with this kind of thing.

Yes, I agree. A considerable amount of Pride now appears to be less about dignity or equality and more about public exhibitionism and overtly sexual conduct. I know gay people who share that view and have no desire to attend.

I find it indefensible that grown men attend so-called family events wearing jockstraps, fetish costumes, gimp masks, and ball gags.

I will not, under any circumstances, knowingly expose my children to environments of that nature.

Explain to her that Pride is not actually an essential part of being gay or bisexual.
You can accept and support her but that doesn’t mean you have to take her to a Pride festival.
Twelve is only the very beginning of working all of this stuff out.
She’s obviously still too young to understand that she will be working most of it out by herself and you as her parents by and large don’t need to be involved.
Try to talk to her to understand exactly why she wants to go so badly, what it means to her and what her expectations are.

There are not going to be people like her, because she is twelve and most of the people there will be adults (or if it’s child friendly, younger children who barely understand why they are there).

I must say my mouth is hanging open that you had this experience yet you allow your eleven year old to be ‘on her phone all the time’ and endlessly talking to Chat GPT. Yet you wonder where she’s getting these fixations… I’m speechless.