Attendees of the Itasca Pride festival last month covered the cameras of some individuals who were protesting the event and recording what was happening.
“None of this!” an individual said while waving a fan in the face of the protesters, forcing them backwards, according to video. “Ooh, glare at me. Glare at me. You’re so scary,” she taunted.
Individuals at the Itasca Pride festival attempted to cover the cameras of concerned citizens who were recording the event's drag queens performing for kids. pic.twitter.com/9JbWF6OMks
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) June 25, 2024
Stephanie Lipscy organized a protest and prayer walk. “We need to protect the kids from the pride/drag show,” a Facebook event listing reads.
“We were told that we couldn’t record at the festival,” Lipscy told Alpha News. “The more that we didn’t react, the more angry that people got.”
She explained that people with pride flags fully encircled them to try to stop them from filming the drag show. “We couldn’t get out of the little circle,” she said. “I was stepped on a few times, I was elbowed a few times.”
Lipscy said her concern was for the children in attendance and the displays taking place at an event that was advertised as family friendly.
“Itasca Pride Fest will be family friendly suitable for all ages, and everyone in attendance is expected to dress accordingly, including those coming in drag and cosplay outfits,” a Facebook post prior to the event explained. Drag is “not about sexual acts,” the group stated, claiming that children’s cartoon characters including Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Daffy Duck have dressed in drag.
“The whole focus was to protect the children. I didn’t want kids to see this. There were kids in the audience, babies in strollers,” Lipscy said. “The drag queens were scantily clad, one took his skirt off and you could see his bare buttocks.”
She explained that one of the event attendees said to an older gentleman who accompanied Lipscy, “yeah, I know you’re gonna go home and jack off to this s—.”
Lipscy said that she’s faced harassment because of her public stances against the festival.
“Prior to the event I was mailed an anonymous package that I turned into the sheriff’s office and had people outside taking pictures of my house. I’ve been followed home from city council meetings,” Lipscy told Alpha News.
She aired her concerns during a city council meeting ahead of the event, prompting Itasca Pride to “deny the dangerous and false allegations made against us.”
“We want to be clear that any action, statement, or written communication that does not directly come from Itasca Pride the entity, or one of our leadership members, does not represent the values, beliefs, opinions, or desires of Itasca Pride,” the group said.
Drag queens who were performing at the festival included one named Dolly Divergent, who is a “Renaissance she/her/they who contains multitoots,” the Itasca Pride Facebook page explained.
Following the Itasca Pride festival, Community Presbyterian Church held an “interfaith service” to celebrate pride. Some of the faiths that participated in this service included “Jewish, Presbyterian, ELCA Lutheran, Episcopal, Atheist/Freethinker, and Wicca.”
The Itasca Pride festival was sponsored in part by activist groups Gender Justice and Outfront MN.
Itasca Pride did not respond to Alpha News’ request for comment.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
