NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – One Pride celebration is changing venues this weekend after an online controversy caught the eye of a state representative.
The Riverside Pride Festival will now take place on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Faith UCC Church in New Braunfels. While organizers told KSAT the last three festivals happened at the Comal County Fairgrounds, they said out of “an abundance of caution,” moving locations this year would be safer for all attending.
Concern surfaced on social media a few days ago about the appropriateness of an all-ages drag show on the festival’s schedule.
State Rep. Carrie Isaac, a Republican whose district includes New Braunfels, told KSAT that past photographs from Riverside Pride and a recent caption written by one person originally slated to perform started the conversation about why the event should not be branded family friendly.
“We’re just standing up for children,” Isaac said. “I believe they believe that we are being hateful right now, and we’re not.”
Isaac said those posts on social media and conversations with her constituents pushed her to email Riverside Pride and send a letter to the Comal County Fair and Rodeo Executive Board.
She urged the fair board to “decline hosting” the event, warning that the board and the venue could face “significant legal liability if the event proceeds” because of Senate Bill 12.
SB 12 was passed back by the Texas Legislature in 2023 but has been paused since a federal judge ruled it a violation of the First Amendment. It aims to keep kids from seeing sexually explicit performances.
Isaac sent her letter on Monday. On Tuesday, Riverside Pride confirmed its own board had decided to move the Pride Festival to a different location.
Riverside Pride is a nonprofit that supports the LGBTQ+ community. KSAT spoke to board member Mike Stegen on Wednesday. He said the drag show slated to happen on Saturday was not going to be sexual in nature. He said his team was committed to family-friendly programming and fighting misconceptions about drag shows.
“It’s culture, it’s not a crime,” he said. “It’s not harmful to children, and we’re not going to stop having drag shows.”
WATCH BELOW: Riverside Pride board member Mike Stegen explains reason for move
But ultimately, he said changing venues for the festival was the safest option.
“We started to see more misinformation turn into security concerns, so we decided that we had to find a different venue,” Stegen said.
Even after the changes, Isaac said she still has concerns.
“We’ll see ... to be determined, right?” she said. “I don’t trust that they will not be sexual in nature.”
The Comal County Fair Executive Board released a statement on social media on Tuesday.
“The event organizers have decided to relocate their event to an alternate venue,” that statement read, in part. “The Fair Association is a nonpartisan organization. Facility rentals are open to the community based on availability, and the Association does not sponsor or endorse outside events.”
Security was something the Riverside Pride Board, the representative and the fair board all mentioned. KSAT is still looking into what role this had in the decision-making process.
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