An Ohio-based children’s museum has canceled an upcoming “queer prom” event for youth ages 12-18 following backlash over the flier of the event featuring drag performers with vulgar names.
The event, organized by LGBT advocacy group Love On A Mission (LOAM), is titled “A Star is Born” and was originally supposed to take place on Feb. 10 at the Buckeye Imagination Museum in Mansfield, Ohio.
According to The Christian Post, the event featured three drag performers, with the names Tina Jade Mario, Miles N. Sider, and Anita B. Boned.” Additionally, dinner dancing was included, and a “safe place for all [LGBT] youth and their allies” and welcomed anyone between the ages of 12 and 18.
However, the Buckeye Imagination Museum announced last week that the event has been canceled.
“Thank you for the concern regarding the recent scheduled rental event. As information about the event has been shared with us, the museum has concluded that we are no longer the facility that will host this event,” the museum explained in a statement on Facebook.
“At this time we are also taking steps to further ensure the appropriateness of future events at our museum.”
In response to the museum’s announcement, LOAM argued that the prom event was meant to be a “safe setting” for LGBT youth.
“Unfortunately, there are too many places and people that create unsafe and harmful settings for these young people to express themselves. LOAM wants to provide the opportunity for them to have the same experiences as other youths in a safe setting. This prom was to be one of those events,” LOAM stated.
The post also included statistics by The Trevor Project, which publishes findings correlating religious beliefs and higher rates of suicide amongst LGBT individuals.
“We continue to be saddened that a small group of loud individuals can disrupt an event,” the statement read. “We are working with our young people and their families to address the needs of young people, and a small group of unsupportive individuals have made this very challenging as we approach the event date.”
“Unfortunately, there are too many places and people that create unsafe and harmful settings for these young people to express themselves. LOAM wants to provide the opportunity for them to have the same experiences as other youths in a safe setting. This prom was to be one of those events,” the organization said in a statement.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
