The Mall of America is hosting what it calls a “family friendly” drag show on Friday.
Partnering with Flip Phone Events — which hosts “drag brunches” and dance events in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City — the Mall of America says “all ages” are welcome at the event, which will “recreate many of the famous performances that were held at Mall of America’s iconic Rotunda in the 1990s,” according to the event description.
The event takes place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21. All attendees will be required to wear a mask.
The Child Protection League, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, released a statement calling the event “shameful.”
“It is shameful that the MOA staff thinks it is a good idea to bring in perverts who sexually groom very young children,” the statement says. “This is NOT a family friendly event. The MOA must be really desperate to get people to come to the mall if they are willing to sink this low.”
Located just south of Minneapolis in the city of Bloomington, the Mall of America is an enormous shopping complex that attracts tourists from all over the United States and world.
On New Year’s Eve two people were struck by one bullet fired inside the mall, though the incident arose from a “dispute” between two men, according to Bloomington police.
The first man was hit in the leg and injured, while the second man suffered only a graze wound.
Last August the city of Bloomington itself held a “Pride” event featuring drag performances and a drag queen story hour. As in the Mall of America event, people of “all ages” were encouraged to attend, including children.
Martina Marraccino, the individual who conducted the “story hour,” once asked his friends to donate to The Satanic Temple for his birthday. Marraccino is also reputed to perform gay pornography under the name “Adam Divine,” according to a concerned Bloomington resident.
He didn’t deny it in a comment on a post about him in the Bloomington Patriots Facebook group.
“This is childish and I’m not bothered. Your children crave love and acceptance, you seem to only have room for hate. That’s sad for them, and for you. Jesus would be ashamed of you,” he said.
Evan Stambaugh
Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.
