Video footage emerged on May 13, 2023, showing a Mother’s Day-themed drag show at a bar in Seattle, Washington, with children in attendance watching. The event was advertised as an “all-ages” show, even though it featured sexually explicit dancing with one of the performers using a pole and $12 bottomless mimosas. The “family-friendly” drag shows across the country have started to receive backlash as child grooming. Jamie Mitchell, founder of Gays Against Grooming, said, “We do not condone children being at these performances, in the same way we wouldn’t condone children being at strip clubs.” ReMyx’d bar where this event was held has not responded for comment about the show being vetted for age-appropriateness and safeguarding. Amid the narrative that drag is child-friendly, several drag queens who work with minors have been charged with or convicted for child sex crimes.
