The new-look board of the historic Fairbanks-area Tanana Valley State Fair is quietly plotting to reverse the fair’s recent decision to bar controversial LGBTQ drag queen shows at the so-called “family friendly” annual event.
This past winter, previous board members cancelled a divisive LGBTQ drag queen show that had been scheduled to perform at this year’s fair, which starts on July 25. That decision was made after the Alaska Watchman ran a story detailing the fact that a group called Out at the Fair (OATF) had arranged to perform a “Glam Show” with cross-dressing drag queens and kings on July 29. The event was planned as ticketed entertainment in the fair’s main big-top tent.
OATF seeks to establish an initial foothold at family-oriented fairs around the country, moving from smaller private events to eventually becoming officially sponsored vendors and entertainers with gay-themed concerts and dances, LGBTQ photo booths, erotic acrobatic shows, kids’ games and other activities. Many of the events entail scantily clad, highly sexualized cross-dressers.
News of the previously planned drag performance at the Tanana fair sparked massive community pushback, and three days after the Watchman story ran, the fair issued a statement saying the “Glam Show” had been cancelled for the 2025 fair.
Shortly after that decision, however, the board added five new faces to its nine-member body during a March meeting that was overwhelmingly focused on the drag show.
Some of the newly elected board members are now intent on reviving the quest to bring LGBTQ drag shows into the 101-year-old fair – a gathering that has been historically focused on livestock, games, rides and other traditional fair experiences.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
This week, in a last-minute meeting that was unannounced on the fair’s website, the board convened on June 18 to discuss the status of “Glam Show” performances.
A concerned Fairbanks resident caught wind of the meeting and informed the Alaska Watchman of what went down.
Attendees were overwhelmingly LGBTQ activists, who were notified about the meeting with plenty of time to mobilize, despite the fact that there was no mention of the board meeting for the wider public, and no agenda posted to the fair’s website.
While it does not appear any final decisions were made at the meeting, one of the new board members suggested the fair should issue a public apology for canceling the drag performance, and then create a new “equity policy” to guide future decisions.
It’s clear that members of the LGBTQ community are laser focused on changing the fair, and now have activists working as senior staff, including David Leslie, the fair’s executive assistant, who identifies online as a queer “dancer, actor, choreographer, fire spinner, filmmaker, burlesquer, writer and anti-fascist activist.”
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to contact the Tanana Valley State Fair board of directors with any concerns or suggestions.
— To contact the fair headquarters, email operations@tvsfa.org or call (907) 452-3750, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
33 Comments
Time for the Fairbanks fair managers to get rid of what harms the customers. Nix the dodo’s.
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If you allow this to happen you will be no better off than Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and all the other woke city’s. You will lose all the normal people for your fair. Its sad that you are even considering the option for this group to attend.
Other State Fair venues, watch out! The 10% are coming for your children with this farce of “family friendly entertainment” drag shows. It is obvious, the Tanana Fair Board doesn’t want any public testimony beyond the LGBTQ flag bearers (the vocal minority). I bet that it will be drag shows/LGBTQ activities in full view for your little ones at this fair.
Well said; however, 10% is far too high, I think the actual number is less than 2%. Normal folks are not on board with that lunacy, and shouldn’t be on board.
Fraud! If I the real Dave Maxwell decide to run for governor, i can assure all of the voters that I will not tolerate the abuse that exist in our society today! MEN ARE MEN! Unless of your a pervert! If you are, and get caught, you’ll be in a mental institution! WOMEN ARE WOMEN! Leave them be, and quit attacking them! THATS WHATS CALLED SENSIBLE LEADERSHIP! ITS BECOME A LOST ART!!!
And this is WHY they invented boycotts.
Stop being afraid of these sick individuals. Behind closed doors the thief-devil comes to steal and kill and destroy.
boycott the fair. ..it’s the only thing they understand…I surely won’t be going.
You can always just attend the fair and not go to the drag show, right? Isn’t that pretty obvious?
You can always just go to the seedy bar and not expect your degenerate fetishes to be satisfied at the fair, right? Isn’t that pretty obvious?
Why do you want to expose kids to grown men wearing womanface and acting like whores? Is that your thing, Manny? The label for that is child abuse.
Tamra I don’t go to drag shows. Doesn’t interest me. Apparently it interests others. As I say to my dog, Leave It.
I’m not interested in drag, but others are. You are not obligated to attend. Walk on by; there’s plenty to see at the fair.
Manny, I don’t murder people, but neither would I just walk on by.
Standing up for EVIL in the name of fairness to the EVIL doesn’t change the fact that it’s EVIL.
iL
Maybe me and my conservative friends need to join the board and turn this around.
BOYCOTT TANANA FAIR
We don’t want to see the rainbow parade there
Or men wearing skirts with facial hair
It’s time to get the liberal lollipops out of there!
The Watchman needs to get a life. ️️⚧️. HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!!
it is sad when your life’s focus is all about your sexual preferences. no one will ever know or care to know what other contributions you might make to the world.
LGBTQ+ people. have contributed a lot to the US. Alan Turing made major contributions in Mathematics. Harvey Milk and Pete Buttigieg have made major contributions in politics. Oscar WIlde was a noted playwright. Sally Ride was the first female astronaut. Elton John is a noted musician. Barbara Jordan was the first black Texas representative. I can go on, but you won’t care.
What is it that you have accomplished, exactly, of which you are so proud? Please explain it clearly and completely. I’ll wait.
If you want to be respected, do something respectable.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with drag queens. you MAGAs are ridiculous. June is Pride Month. Celebrate!
Pete butigeg? The bumbling idiot who was somehow allowed to adopt a poor baby so he could chest feed? That’s funny. How’s the baby? Starved to death? You’re a riot.
Pride Month is even funnier. Ya’ll go have pride month in your garage. Heterosexual month is every month and the calendar is full. All you’re looking toward is pedophilia. Move to another planet. See ya! As for the fair, boycott it ’till the board grows a pair and kicks out the queens. Money talks when the customer walks. Think Budweiser. If it’s really not about promoting pedophilia, go to the seedy bars and ply your wares.
You protest too much, sorta like you’re hiding something.
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. — Deuteronomy 22:5
I wrote a letter to the board of directors saying Me and my family will boycott but not sure it went through. It was saying it was an insecure site and it wouldn’t take me back to the original screen where I had written a letter.
Immoral depraved behavior habit.
Mental illness. Disgusting.
Thank you, Joel. I went on their site yesterday and wrote. We will not be attending the fair this year if they decide to do this. Their flaunting of their sexual preference belongs in their bedroom NOT at my fair and NOT in public anywhere.
ABOMINATIONS! not contributions.
Secretary Pete Hegseth said it best:
“We’re done with that Sh_t” !!!
What’s the confusion folks? Pull down your pants and take a look. If you born with Male plumbing you are Male – If you are born with Female plumbing you are a Female. Great! Now that we have that straight maybe we can move on to something a little more compicated.
How about we move on to genetics?