Last month’s Twin Cities Pride parade garnered national headlines after an overweight middle-aged white man in his underwear was recorded twerking in front of children. Lost in the mix was that the Pride festival in Loring Park included an adult-free “Youth Hideaway” section exclusively for children to try on opposite-gender clothes and to “express” themselves.
Twin Cities Pride hosts the festival annually in Minneapolis. The group has received more than $250,000 in taxpayer money through Minnesota’s Arts Board since 2017, Bill Glahn for the Center of the American Experiment found.
Marketed as a “family friendly” event, this year’s gathering was expected to welcome more than 400,000 visitors. Target and Delta Airlines were among its top sponsors. US Bank, 3M, UPS, and U of M Health-Fairview sponsored the festival as well, among others.
Festival organizer Andi Otto added the fenced-in “Youth Hideaway” section at the center of the park as a new feature this year. Axios reports that Otto, a woman who believes she is a man, wanted the area to be “an adult-free zone for visitors to find LGBTQ resources, try on gender-affirming clothing, and have a safe space for expression.”
Axios reports that the festival "added a fenced-in 'Youth Hideaway' at the center of the park, an adult-free zone for visitors to find LGBTQ resources, try on gender-affirming clothing, and have a safe space for expression." https://t.co/vDrZgbv9Yo
— Bill Glahn (@billglahn) June 27, 2023
The festival’s FAQ section clarifies that press was banned from the area, which was specifically sponsored by the Mayo Clinic and General Mills. “Media will not be allowed in this area. All other people are allowed in and out at will. This area will have youth specific programming and activities,” the website reads.
Some of the vendors that set up shop near the youth-only section included Queer Space Collective, Annex Teen Clinic, Avenues for Youth, Gender Inclusive Schools Inc, and Transforming Families — all of which seek to promote the LGBT lifestyle to children.
Perhaps the most disturbing of all the 600+ vendors at this year’s festival was the Minnesota Adult Diaper Enthusiasts (M.A.D.E.). The group caters to people who engage in lurid sexual behaviors while wearing baby clothes. “We host munches, private play parties, public outings, and advocacy to promote understanding and support within our community,” the organization has said.
Booths that M.A.D.E. has hosted at other events featured pacifiers, building blocks, and high-chairs, according to website Libs of TikTok.
“We spoke with an attendee at the festival, who told us that children were in close proximity to the booth,” the outlet reported. “He also insisted that children were able to see adults in diapers on full display.”
Stephen Kokx
Stephen Kokx, M.A., is a journalist for LifeSiteNews. He previously worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago under the late Francis Cardinal George. A former community college instructor, Stephen has written and spoken extensively about Catholic social teaching and politics. His essays have appeared in such outlets as Catholic Family News and CatholicVote.org.
