‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Alyssa Edwards Shares Frustration About Texas’s Proposal to Ban Children from Drag Shows
Photo by: Amy Sussman/WireImage Reading Time: 2 minutes
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Alyssa Hunter recently spoke out about Texas’s proposal that would ban children from drag shows. She explained that the bill itself and its timing makes her embarrassed of her home state.
On June 6, it was revealed that Texas State Representative, Bryan Slaton, plans to propose a ban drag shows in the presence of minors. Since the proposal was shared on social media, multiple RuPaul’s Drag Race queens have shared their opinion. RuPaul’s Drag Race season five/RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2’s Alyssa Edwards was among the queens to publicly share her opinion.
Alyssa Edwards Speaks out on Texas’s Proposal That Bans Children From Drag Shows
Alyssa Edwards took to social media on June 7 to fire back at the Texas State Representative. Within her Tweet, she explained that Drag is a subjective art and parents are the first teacher/role model in children’s lives. She expressed that parents should be the parties that choose what type of entertainment their children can partake in.
“What a sad day for someone like myself who believes in art and entertainment. That can inspire, that can enlighten, that can encourage,” she said to TMZ. “I believe that my drag is a form of a superhero power. Instead of a cape and a leotard it’s a wig and a rhinestone gown.”
The Environment Drag Creates for Children
Right now, Edwards explains that she “hates” the state, even though she’s normally proud to represent it. Since she’s always stayed true to her Texan roots, she was “taken aback” by the lawmaker’s proposal. Her TMZ statement concluded with an explanation of the benefits drag has on youth.
“I didn’t grow up with RuPaul’s Drag Race so this group of kiddos is very fortunate, they have something that maybe they can identify with that is right there on their television,” she continued. “These messages are so empowering because they’re messages of hope, of inspiration, and it truly fuels me. I really pride myself on being the educator that I am.”
Following Edward’s response to the proposal, the RuPaul’s Drag Race shared a video discussing that drag helps create safe, supportive environments where LGBQTIA+ youth can feel happy. They also included that the Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey found that “LGBQTIA+ youth who lived in an accepting community, had access to affirming spaces, and/or felt high social support from family and friends reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide in the past year.”
