Videos from a drag show performance at an Iowa high school went viral online on Tuesday, prompting the school to announce an investigation into the incident.
“The district has been made aware of an unauthorized performance that took place yesterday after school at Ankeny High School,” read the statement from the school on Facebook.
“As a part of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Club’s end-of-the-year meeting, performers from the Central Iowa Youth Pride Pageant were invited to share a drag performance. While the GSA is an approved school club, this performance was not approved by the building administration and did not follow the correct protocols prior to the meeting,” the statement continued.
“This performance was after school and localized to the students participating in the club. It was not approved by the building administration, and it is currently under investigation,” it concluded.
Videos reportedly from the drag show were posted to the popular “Libs of TikTok” account and quickly went viral.
The drag show was also documented at the Iowa Standard.
“Sometimes because of who I am I don’t really feel like I’m a man,” a performer reportedly told the students. “I don’t always feel like I am that like masculine figure everyone wants to see from someone that uses he/him pronouns.”
One photograph from the event appears to show a student handing a dollar to the drag performer on stage.
“I feel like sometimes I do identify as a male. I feel like sometimes I’m more in the middle of the spectrum — not one or the other. That’s where I am right now,” the performer continued.
That performer also reportedly told the students to contact them if they were confused about their gender.
The “Libs of TikTok” documented a similar event in April at a high school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The school apologized to parents and students and said the incident was under investigation.
Here’s more about high school drag shows:
Online backlash grows over video of drag held at Lancaster County high school
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