New York City recently hosted its annual drag queen parade, where hundreds of LGBTQ advocates marched from Tompkins Square Park to the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, with participants chanting “We’re Here; We’re Queer; We’re Coming for Your Children!” The event is an annual commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a landmark event in the gay rights movement.
During the event, many attendees held signs bearing statements such as “Groom Cissies” and “Drag isn’t for Cissies.” The parade included members from a group known as Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This group, known for mocking Christian nuns, has previously invited controversy, inciting Christian backlash during their participation in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pride celebration earlier this month.
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Criticism of the event has been considerable. U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) criticized the movement, stating, “This movement grooms minors to have mastectomies and castration and fuels a multi billion dollar medical child abuse industry. Pass the Protect Children’s Innocence Act. Let kids be kids.” The proposed act seeks to criminalize any form of “gender-affirming care” for minors.
Echoing Greene’s sentiments, Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, tweeted, “When they tell you who they are, believe them.”
Jenna Ellis, former legal counsel to President Donald Trump, used Twitter to critique the parade, saying, “Remember that thing they said they totally are not doing?” Cultural critic James Lindsay and British writer Pat Condell also added their disapproval, highlighting the provocative nature of the parade’s slogans.
The parade’s contentious chant resonates with a similar message declared by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in a 2021 music video titled: “A Message From the Gay Community”. The song included the lyrics, “We’ll convert your children,” furthering the discussion about the so-called “gay agenda”.
