Drag event at Ankeny High School draws criticism from some parents
Some Ankeny parents are upset about an event held on Monday night at Ankeny High School.
Ankeny's Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) club hosted a drag event as part of the club's end-of-the-year meeting. The event was not for the whole school.
The club brought in some popular drag performers from around the Des Moines metro, including Komplete Moon.
The performance footage in the attached video is from a previous performance, similar to the one on Monday night in Ankeny.
The Ankeny School District shared the following statement with KCCI:
"The district has been made aware of an unauthorized performance that took place yesterday after school at Ankeny High School. As a part of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Club’s end-of-the-year meeting, performers from the Central Iowa Youth Pride Pageant were invited to share a drag performance. While the GSA is an approved school club, this performance was not approved by the building administration and did not follow the correct protocols prior to the meeting. This performance was after school and localized to the students participating in the club. It was not approved by the building administration, and it is currently under investigation."
One of the performers from the event, says it was a healthy and important event for students.
"To the parents that are accepting, Thank you. To the parents that are not — please broaden your horizons," said Skyler Barning, who performs as Komplete Moon. "I just want them to realize that while the idea of drag is very taboo, there are places and shows meant for people under the age of 21. It's not always a sexual act. It can be positive and uplifting with a message behind it as well.
Barning says the performers talked with students about their journey and how to overcome hard times as LGBTQ students.