A school district in Texas has come under scrutiny for encouraging students to attend the annual Austin Pride Parade, an event confirmed to feature sexually explicit content.
Last week, the Austin Independent School District (ISD) promoted the Austin Pride Parade on the district’s official website, inviting “staff, students, and their families” to join and represent the district in the parade. To further boost participation, the Austin ISD even offered “free shuttles” for students and their families, with children required to be accompanied by an adult. The district also provided attending students with an “Austin ISD Pride T-shirt.”
The pride parade was part of a weekend of LGBT-related festivities organized by Austin Pride. According to the organization’s website, the parade’s theme was “Keep Austin Queer’d!” and was held to counter attacks on the Drag community.
“From attacks on our Drag community to the fight for trans rights… sometimes it feels that our community is getting pushed from all sides. When that happens, WE STAND OUR GROUND! And no matter what, one thing is for certain. We will KEEP AUSTIN QUEER’D!”
Austin Pride parade promotion
Both the pride festival and the parade have been specifically marketed towards all ages, including children. The festival allows children six and under to attend for free. However, it should be well-known to Austin ISD that the Austin Pride Parade is not a family-friendly event.
The controversial nature of the event is not new. Last year, The Blaze covered the parade, highlighting multiple instances of performances deemed unsuitable for children. Some participants were seen wearing bondage gear, engaging in sexually explicit dances, and making sexually obscene statements. Despite this, Austin ISD had no issue promoting such an event to underage students in its district.
