Image of child on stripper pole at pride event draws criticism

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (TND) — Videos and photos that showed a young child on a stripper pole during a pride event caused a social media uproar on Thursday.

Conservative Twitter account "Libs of TikTok" shared one photo with followers. In that photo, a young boy can be seen being held up on the stripper pole by a scantily clad individual.

Libs of TikTok claims the pride event featured the stripper pole so that kids would have an opportunity to "try out pole dancing."

The photo is actually a screenshot of a video taken at the"Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade,"which took place August 20 and 21.

Libs of TikTok's Twitter post featuring the image went viral, gaining over 14,000 likes since going live on Thursday.

Many users responded to the images by calling them "sick" or "deranged." Some wondered why no one in the images seemingly cares or is upset that a child is present, and others go as far as to call it an example of child abuse.

Kid friendly strippers!" investorJason Howerton, who has a large Twitter following, wrote. "If you care more about signaling your wokeness than what is best for your kid, you truly are a piece of sh-t."

Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, Matt Rinaldi, simply said "straight to jail" in reply to the image.

Images and news of children at pride events and drag shows have been drawing backlash online whenever they appear. Libs of TikTok is one such Twitter account that is dedicated to revealing information about those images and events.

The National Desk has also previously reported on similar sightings and incidents.

A public library in upstate New York hosted a series of classes for young teenagers that claimed it would teach them "the art of drag from a local drag queen."

Also, an LGBT nonprofit planned to hold a “teen drag” show for people as young as 13 at an Oklahoma City pride festival, according to online advertisements for the event.

Pop singer Christina Aguilera also received backlash for sporting a bedazzled strap-on during an all-ages performance at Los Angeles’s Pride Fest.

A public library in Fayetteville, Arkansas, held a “Back To School Festival" where children enjoyed drag performances and selected clothing from a “Transition Closet.”

Some lawmakers are trying to stop children from being able to attend drag shows. In Texas, a state lawmaker has announced plans to introduce legislation to ban such drag shows where minors are present.

The events... were horrifying and show a disturbing trend in which perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children,” said Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Texas. “As a father of two young children, I would never take my children to a drag show and I know Speaker Dade Phelan and the rest of my Republican colleagues wouldn’t either."

Rep. Slaton claims that places hosting drag shows where minors can be present fall under thedefinition of “sexually-oriented businesses." Therefore, they must actively prevent children and sex offenders from attending or participating, Slayton points out.

TheCharlotte Pride Festival & Parade did not respond to TND's request for comment before this article's publication. If a comment is received, it will be added.