Labour-run Oxford city council backs five-day drag camp showing 14-year-olds how they can be ‘divas’
- Oxford Council is running a five-day ‘drag camp’ for teens between 14 and 18
- It has sparked outrage from campaigners who said it pushed ‘sexual boundaries’
A city council is sponsoring a ‘drag camp’ that shows children as young as 14 how to become ‘divas’.
Labour-run Oxford is backing the event that offers youngsters aged between 14 and 18 the chance to ‘create your own daring stage persona’.
The camp, which runs for five days from Monday, invites children to ‘dive into the world of drag’ and promises to teach them how to create ‘a look and a routine in your own unique style’.
It is run by T(ART) Productions, a not-for-profit community company that received a grant from the Oxford Community Impact Fund.
The event tonight sparked outrage from campaigners who said the camp pushed ‘sexual boundaries’.
The camp, which runs for five days from Monday, invites children to ‘dive into the world of drag’ and promises to teach them how to create ‘a look and a routine in your own unique style’
Stephanie Davies-Arai of Transgender Trend said: ‘Encouraging children to create a ‘daring’ stage persona means only one thing in the drag world: to push sexual boundaries. Blurring the boundaries between adult and child in this way is a safeguarding red flag’
READ MORE: ANDREW NEIL, 74, HAPPY TO BE BRANDED A TERF AS HE LABELS STORY OF DE-TRANSITIONER ‘HEARTBREAKING’
Stephanie Davies-Arai of Transgender Trend said: ‘Why is Oxford City Council encouraging children to participate in the world of adult entertainment? The aim of queer activists is clear in the blurb: to subvert and destabilise boundaries, under the guise of being empowering for children.
‘Encouraging children to create a ‘daring’ stage persona means only one thing in the drag world: to push sexual boundaries. Blurring the boundaries between adult and child in this way is a safeguarding red flag.’
Oxford City Council sparked outrage earlier this year when it banned all meat products from meetings and provided plant-based options for town hall events.
The motion was proposed by Labour Party councillor Paula Dunne, following in the footsteps of Oxfordshire County Council, which became the first authority to do so in December 2021.
At the time, there was a fierce backlash from Oxfordshire farmers and TV star Jeremy Clarkson branded the policy ‘utter, utter madness’.
Ajaz Rehman, the city council’s cabinet member for inclusive communities, said: ‘Our Community Impact Fund grants support a wide range of activities, including activities for young people during the summer holidays, and they aim to offer opportunities that provide something for everyone.
‘The drag week application went through a scrutiny process, like all applications, and is suitable for a youth audience.
‘It is a professional performance training opportunity for young people with an interest in drama and stage work and offers an inclusive activity that is open to all young people, not only LGBT youth, but places are limited.’
More than 100 transgender men have applied to be Miss Italy after organisers said it was open only to those born female.
They had barred transgender women from taking part in the competition, stating that they would not ‘jump on the glittery bandwagon of trans activism’.
In response, around 100 trans men have applied for a place, with Federico Barbarossa, a trans activist from southern Italy, taking the lead.
He said: ‘I like to think I’m a little part of Italy’s progress.’
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