Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem suggested that the leader of a conservative nonprofit should be fired over his public request that she crack down on drag shows for children, according to letters reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Norman Woods, director of the South Dakota-based conservative advocacy group Family Heritage Alliance Action, asked Noem to take action over drag shows for child audiences in an open letter Tuesday after South Dakota State University (SDSU) hosted a “kid-friendly” drag show. Noem accused Woods of publicly attacking her, threatened to stop working with Family Heritage Action and encouraged the group to find a new director in a Wednesday response letter, as initially reported by National Review. (RELATED: ‘All Ages’ Drag Show Featured Partial Nudity, Simulated Sex Acts And Other Graphic Content)
“Innocent children should not be exposed to drag shows. Full stop. I have no doubt you agree with me,” Woods wrote. “Considering you have the power to hold the South Dakota Board of Regents accountable and fire at will, I am greatly disappointed you and your administration have taken no action to rectify this situation or to ensure that drag shows for children never happen again on South Dakota soil. The only answer we have seen from your office is for South Dakotans to reach out to the Attorney General.”
In November, South Dakota State University (SDSU) sparked fierce conservative criticism for hosting a “kid-friendly” drag show on its taxpayer-funded campus. “Show your support for the drag queens by bringing $1 or $5 bills to tip,” a now-deleted post on the SDSU website read. pic.twitter.com/Tcao3hEmKM
— Nate Hochman (@njhochman) December 22, 2022
His letter included several requests for Noem to use her power to restrict drag events for children, including working with state lawmakers to get legislation passed. Noem responded that it was the job of the attorney general to determine if the event had violated existing decency laws and that she had already discussed the matter with the Board of Regents, who agreed to suspend youth participation in future events and plan to work on related legislation in the coming session.
“I’d encourage the Family Heritage Alliance to evaluate the purpose of your organization. Is it to promote family values – or is it to attack the most conservative governor in the country? I believe it is the former and urge you to focus your efforts on bringing our shared pro-family message to the people of South Dakota. I suggest you find an executive director who agrees,” Noem wrote.
The Nov. 16 drag show at SDSU sponsored by the Gender and Sexualities Alliance was advertised as “kid-friendly” and encouraged attendees to bring $1 and $5 bills to tip the performers. Organizers have denied that anything inappropriate took place, emphasizing that there was no contact between performers and children and that the costumes were sufficiently modest.
Woods and Noem did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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