Drag queen performer defends unapproved high school show, tells angry parents to 'broaden your horizons'

A drag queen performer defended an unapproved high school event that angered parents, who he told to "broaden your horizons."

The drag show was performed at the Ankeny High School in Iowa as a part of the end-of-the-year meeting of the Gay Straight Alliance Club. Students were invited but their parents were not warned beforehand and no permission slips were signed for the event.

The school issued an apology after videos of the drag show were highlighted by the popular "Libs of TikTok" account on Twitter.

Despite the outrage from parents, one performer told KCCI-TV that they needed to lighten up and he defended the performance.

"To the parents that are accepting, thank you. To the parents that are not, please broaden your horizons," said Skyler Barning.

"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," he claimed. "It is not always a sexual act, it can be positive and uplifting with a message behind it as well."

A senior student who performed as "Vivian Von D" at the drag show also defended the performance in an interview with the Des Moines Register.

"It was meant to be an uplifting environment for those in the (Gay Straight Alliance) who don't always have all the support they need to get through the struggles in their lives," said Carson Doss.

The school apologized for the incident in a message on Facebook and said the matter was under investigation.

The Libs of TikTok account forced a town in Indiana to cancel a drag show at an LGBTQ event that was advertised as "family-friendly" by simply posting the advertisement for the show on Twitter.

Here's the interview with Skyler Barning:

Drag event at Ankeny High School draws criticism from some parentswww.youtube.com