GOVERNMENT

Supporters, opponents flood Stockton City Hall to talk drag show at Pixie Woods

Hannah Workman
The Record
Vice Mayor Kimberly Warmsley and Mayor Kevin Lincoln listen to public comments at the May 23 Stockton City Council meeting next to council members Michael Blower and Susan Lenz.

Emotions ran high Tuesday night at the Stockton City Council meeting as some community members voiced their concerns — and others expressed their support — for a proposed drag show at Pixie Woods, the 69-year-old children's amusement park on Monte Diablo Avenue.

San Joaquin Pride Center is behind the event, which was a major topic of discussion during two-plus hours of public comment. The drag show, dubbed "We Are Family," became known to the public just days ago after a draft flyer promoting the show was accidentally posted on social media.

The flyer sparked debate online, and prompted community members to flood city hall. Every seat in the chamber was filled. Those who didn't get a seat stood inside of the building to watch the meeting's livestream and wait for their name to be called to give their public comment.

Alice Dixon, a Stockton resident, stood before the council with a crackling voice and tears in her eyes, pleading for the cancellation of the drag show.

"I am very sad to see my city that I was born and raised here, where I played at Pixie Woods, where I took my daughter to play in the sprinklers there with the dragon, and just see her innocence," she said. "Pixie Woods is historical ... once we allow something like this to come to Stockton, we're going to lose our innocence, and we're going to lose our children."

Dixon didn't offer evidence that a drag show would validate her concerns.

Others spoke of the positives.

Juanita Chavez of Stockton speaks during public comment at the May 23 Stockton City Council meeting.

Tracee Bucio told the council that when her daughter, Leeloo, was 4, she took her to a drag queen story time at the Arnold Rue Micro Library.

"After that first story time, we were hooked. We wanted to go every single time," the Stockton woman said. "Then we found out they did family-friendly shows ... we were all over the place following all of these queens."

Bucio said the drag queens helped teach her daughter how to express herself.

"She is the most accepting and nonjudgmental person I know, and because of that, she is going to be a wonderful citizen of Stockton," Bucio said. "We were both born and raised here. We love our city. We're not going anywhere. But we want our queens to stay."

Then Leeloo, now 9, took the microphone.

"I love the drag queens so much," she said. A man in the crowd booed as other community members cheered and applauded.

About 20 minutes into public comment, Mayor Kevin Lincoln asked to take a brief pause so City Manager Harry Black can clarify the city's event permit process.

Black noted that Pixie Woods is a public facility that is made available to the public for general admission, as well as for rental.

"The city provides equal access to the opportunity to apply for special events permits and facility rental. This particular applicant is still in the application process," Black said. "Until an applicant successfully goes through the application process, there is no event that has been scheduled. This particular applicant has prematurely advertised an event at this facility, but has not yet completed the application process."

City Attorney Lori Asuncion added that the matter is a First Amendment issue and warned the council.

"The city cannot impose restrictions based on content, i.e. the message that is being communicated," Asuncion said. "When you open a city-owned venue for rentals the way that the (city) manager just described, we don't have the ability as the city, under the Constitution, to regulate it based on who's holding an event and what the content of the event will contain."

Miniya Brisbane of Stockton speaks during public comment at the May 23 Stockton City Council meeting.

Still, people spoke out, both in opposition and in support.

Meta Rodriguez of Stockton said she took her daughter to Pixie Woods, but she would refuse to take her back if the drag show is held there.

"This can't happen. Not in our county," Rodriguez told council members. "If this continues to keep happening in our county, you guys are going to keep losing money in these places because a lot of us are really tired, and we're not going to be shopping in these stores, and we're not going to be taking our kids to these places where this is being pushed down our kids' throats."

Organizers' messages were simple to those who opposed, asking them not to go.

"Anyone who does not want to see a family-friendly drag show does not need to attend or be subject to it," said Jonathan Lopez, San Joaquin Pride Center youth outreach director, as he stood at the podium in front of council.

Lopez said he applied to rent the Pixie Woods facility after park hours on June 17. Tickets for the drag show would be advertised to LGBT+ community members and allies. It would feature popular Disney characters like Elsa, Olaf, Mrs. Incredible, Mirabel, Moana, Princess Tiana, and Princess Jasmine.

Matthew Pargeter-Villarreal of Stockton speaks during public comment at the May 23 Stockton City Council meeting.

"Every year during June, LGBT+ communities gather for festivals and celebrations in homage to the Stonewall Riots that took place back in 1969 ... when people could be arrested and harmed for being their authentic selves. Back in a time where there were limited to no safe spaces for our communities to gather," Lopez said.

He added that Stockton's LGBT+ community members often had to travel to the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Sacramento to take part in Pride Month events. The Pride Center aims to provide opportunities for those community members to celebrate in town.

"Kids and teens, and even adults, love to see characters they've grown up with come to life and portrayed by local talent," Lopez said. "Family-friendly drag shows have been around for many years and have been done in Stockton in many spaces within it. Only now when all of this political climate is happening do people have a fuss about it ... drag is not about sex. It is not about putting kids at risk. It is about art and freedom of expression."

Council took no action — it was not an item to be discussed at the meeting. A permit for the event has yet to be approved, however there were no clear grounds to deny it.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow