Drag Syndrome?

[Trinity333]

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

My sister has Downs and I worked in a health setting with young people with disabilities (physical and learning). There certainly are groups exclusively for people with Downs, I worked with one young person whose Mum was dead against her going to a ‘Downs’ social group but for this (very articulate) young person it was about identity, her best friend for example had more of a hidden disability so faced very different challenges. She wanted to see and meet people who looked like her.

Thanks for posting this OP, it’s a really interesting debate.

I suppose the point is is it’s not up to us to decide whether there should be a group specifically for people with Down’s syndrome, or not, or how much they have in common, on not. It’s up to the people who go to the group.

Iconicwaffle - I wasn’t sure if to or even if FWR was the right place, but I saw possible parallels with other issues frequently discussed here. That’s great that the young person had their needs met like that.

There used to be a group run by our local Downs association but it no longer meets as there were not the numbers to continue. We’ve been offered respite and have looked at groups where he could go and do music/ performing as that’s what he loves, but there is very little on offer, not just for Downs but all disabilities.

Problem is though Calvinsmum I can’t let my son make that decision. If they offered him sparkly dresses, chocolate, and dancing he’d be there like a shot but wouldn’t understand if he was being exploited.

Sorry trinity, I wasn’t talking about the drag group just Down syndrome specific groups in general.

It’s a really hard call without knowing exactly how this group operates and who the attendees are.
It could just be a ‘dress up and be fabulous’ which would be fine. Or it could be darker.

In general I don’t have a problem with people with Down syndrome having a drag night but like people have said there would need to be safeguarding in place.

Thanks for clarifying, and yes it’s difficult to know without more details.

It's not really about drag, it's the old long-running issue of the rights of people with LDs to make autonomous decisions vs. the risk of them being exploited. I've always felt uneasy about contestants on the X factor/Britains got talent with obvious learning disabilities, set up to be laughed at. But then, why shouldn't they compete if they want to? Same with Undateables.

Hopefully the men performing in this event have supportive people around them and have had good advice. And I hope the tone of the event is more about celebrating talent than freak show.