Arizona Representative State Andrés Cano is proposing to bring a drag show to the Capitol in response to a group of Arizona legislators who announced that they are working on a bill to prohibit children from attending drag shows.
@AndresCanoAZ tweeted: “I think it’s time for a drag show at the Arizona legislature, don’t you?!”
While Canos’ suggestion was widely praised by followers who list their personal pronouns in their Twitter bios, it raised eyebrows with others, who are painfully aware that the Democratic Caucus, and the LGBTQ+ Caucus took hits last year, when one of its most proiment members, Toni Navarrete, was arrested for sexual abuse of a minor.
On August 10, 2021, Arizona State Sen. Tony Navarrete resigned after a Maricopa County Grand Jury charged him with seven counts related to allegations of child sex crimes.
Navarrete, a Democrat from Phoenix, was charged three counts of sexual conduct with a minor (Class 2 felony), two counts of sexual conduct with a minor (Class 6 felony), one count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and one count of molestation of a child.
Navarrete, a founder of the AZLGBT Caucus, eventually resigned from office.
The Arizona legislators who announced their support for a prohibition cited a report in the Arizona Daily Independent about a Tucson Magnet High School counselor, who had hosted a drag show for students, was subsequently arrested after evidence revealed she was having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.
They also cited an AZ FREE News report about the Heard Museum hosted a drag show as part of “Pride Night.” Children were observed in attendance, as the show was touted as being “family-friendly.” Performers were seen dressed in scantily clad attire while carrying out provocative dance moves that left little to the imagination as youngsters watched.
The senators claim that “policies of nondiscrimination regarding gender expression and sexual orientation are sending a message to society that we should disregard morals and values just to normalize these unscientific, broad, ill-defined and subjective terms, which set a dangerous precedent for our children that are too young to be exposed to such concepts.”
“A common tactic of pedophiles is to expose innocent children to erotica in attempt to normalize sexual activity,” one concerned Scottsdale Unified School District parent told the Arizona Daily Independent. “Any adult, especially elected officials such as Andrés Cano, who engages in or encourages others to push sexual propaganda on children, should be in jail.”
The issue of over sexualization became a hot topic as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, keeping young students at home and allowing parents to get a glimpse into their children’s’ classrooms.
The debate has been fueled by videos shared by a Twitter account, @LibsofTikTok, which exposes on a daily basis the sexualization of children by radical teachers.
“Democrats in safe districts are doing incredible damage to the party’s brand in competitive districts and in statewide races,” lamented one Capitol Democrat, “they play to their base in their urban Phoenix or Tempe district, while refusing to acknowledge that most voters, including a lot of Democrats, are upset at this new focus on talking to young children about sex, and inviting young children into sexual performances and all.”
“This is not playing well in rural Arizona, I can assure you, and its the last thing we need heading into these fall elections.”