On April 3, 2025 Western Kentucky University’s Department of Housing and Residence Life hosted it’s 10th Annual Drag Show. Offering no age restrictions, the event, held at the publicly funded Knicely Conference Center, included at least one child. A photo of a four year old giving a dollar bill to drag queen Georgina George was featured in an April 4, 2025 article covering the event.
According to a 2024 article in WKU’s College Height’s Herald, the first Housing and Residence Life Drag Show occurred in 2015 at a campus residence hall. As the event grew it was moved to Downing Student Union and then to the Knicely Convention Center.
Calling for age restrictions and a ban on drag shows in publicly funded venues, Warren County Conservatives organized a petition drive which generated wide-spread interest. Over 400 people signed the petition. Twenty-five percent of respondents are WKU alumni.
Below, read community responses gathered through the petition.
Signatures and responses continue to be collected. Sign and share the petition, here.
Community Responses
| Patricia S. | Adult-themed spaces should not include children. Were this women dressed as proactively, there would have been age limits for entry. |
| Michele W. | All parents, and adults, need to wake up to what has been happening to our children! Why do they want to take away our kid’s innocence? We must fight, and pray to God, to bring normalcy back to our world. |
| Jenna R. | Almost Alum 🥹. So many emotions about WKU. Of course there are great people at WKU, but deviance is apparently rampant. Notice this was a 10th Annual event. The Governor never discouraged these events as neither did the current University President. I was surprised at the number of educators without parental experience giving parental advice especially to incoming Freshman. This type of event should be reserved for private enjoyment among like minded people. An attending 4-year old is being raised improperly and social services SHOULD intervene. God Help Us All! |
| Steve C. | Are education intuition are not the time or the place |
| Tammy D. | As a follower of Christ, my heart is breaking for the children who were taken to what should have been, a confusing Adult Only event. |
| Rogher H. | As a psychotherapist in the past, these things are delusional and show forth mental illness. By exposing children to them, parents are encouraging their kids to become mentally ill. Shame on them. |
| Tammmy P. | Child abuse! |
| Anita G. | do not expose this kind of freak show to our children |
| Nova L. | Drag Queens should not have any public dealings with our children.Stop them from reading to children in public libraries also. |
| Marla N. | Drag shows should be handled like an adult strippers. |
| Michael M. | Drag shows should not be allowed to participate on campuses that receives government funds which comes from taxpayers………and allowing underage children is totally unacceptable………… |
| Justin R. | Drags shows are one thing, drag shows allowing children to be present in a completely different thing! Unacceptable! Shame on WKU and the parents. |
| Houssouwo T. | Every child deserves a safe and age-appropriate environment to grow, learn, and develop. As parents and community members, it’s our job to protect and guide them through the complex world around them. While drag shows are often creative and expressive performances meant for adult audiences, they are not designed for children. |
| Jason B. | Horrible use of taxpayers dollars |
| Sara M. | I am a retired public education teacher who continues to teach because it my passion & calling. I was always very proud to have gotten my undergraduate and graduate degrees from Western Kentucky University. This saddens me a great deal. |
| Yvonne C. | I am appalled that WKU leaders allowed this to happen!!!!!!!!….I am praying that KY House Bill 402 and KY Senate Bill 147 passes this year!!!!!!!!! |
| Annette C. | I am disgusted that WKU would allow children in this type of environment. You should be ashamed. This is not appropriate. |
| Leslie C. | I am fed up with this sexual grooming being pushed in our faces. Innocent children are trafficked daily We have to protect them. |
| Denisa P. | I am so disappointed in WKU for not protecting our children! |
| Donna M. | I am so disappointed that we have come to this point . What happen to right and wrong in this world. We have to realize at some point what we are teaching our children. This is against all biblical truths . And is wrong !!!! |
| Patsy C. | I am so thankful that you have stepped up and started this process as it is horrible that such conduct is being allowed, promoted and displayed in front of our children. Thank you. |
| Marilyn A. | I am very disappointed that my Alma Mater would sanction this event and allow children to attend. This is not the Western I knew and loved! |
| Kim D. | I am very disapppinted in the direction WKU has gone. Education should be the goal not liberal agendas |
| Tifanie W. | I attended WKU and always have been proud of my hometown college. I appreciate you bringing this to attention and hope that WKU will think deeply into the points you state in your article. Well written. |
| Anonymous | I attended WKU for 3 years and indoctrination over education is a great way to describe my experience as a student. |
| John B. | I don’t care if adults want to play dress up and perform for other adults. We do not need to expose our children to this. |
| Donna S. | I don’t think God meant for things like this to go on,especially where our children get exposed to it.Shame on our Kentucky legislaters for letting this happen. |
| Thomas R. | I have already stopped my wku alumni renewals and have removed wku from estate planning |
| Carla K. | I used to send a very small amount each year to the Gifted Education Department at WKU because I taught Gifted Ed and ESL for several years. After I left that job, my income didn’t allow for much in the form of a donation, but I sent a small amount. After the Kyle Rittenhouse debacle at WKU, where his presentation was purposely put in a small room instead of an auditorium that would’ve held the amount of ticket holders, I have absolutely been saddened and sickened by just how sold out WKU is to liberal indoctrination. I will send no more unless I see some more neutral ground. |
| Elizabeth P. | I work with children, am a mother, and a grandmother. |
| Diana W. | I’m a Grandmother, I have one Grandson that is 5. |
| Mary K. | I’m from Logan County but want to support. |
| Tamila W. | If adults want to live this kind of lifestyle that is their business but leave our children alone.. They should not be subjected to this. |
| Charles V. | If you’re going to promote this crap, why not give them drug laced candy, alcoholic beverages, and porn movies. Your goal is to destroy our youth in anyway you can, and I know who is driving the bus. God have mercy on your soul! |
| Tarik H. | It is a shame that this was even allowed in the first place. Protect the children! |
| Jane M. | It’s sickening to know that WKU has been using funds to exploit innocence children |
| Rhonda B. | Just leave the children alone. Let them enjoy childhood free from indoctrination. Simple as that. |
| Elizabeth R. | Keep the adult perversions for ADULT only audiences. |
| Kenna F. | KIDS DONT BELONG AT DRAG SHOWS! |
| Beth H. | Lose the woke. |
| Tammy N. | My boys are alumni. Can’t believe WKU is promoting this! |
| Tonja Tuttle | Is this really how WKU spends tuition $$? Children don’t belong at drag shows. Universities cry that they are underfunded, and use donations and tuition dollars for events like this? It’s no wonder donations are down. |
| Lois P. | Not suitable for children. |
| Karen G. | Our nation and communities are headed to hell fast. How wicked to expose a child to that. |
| Rick W. | Our university needs to not bow to every group for everything. |
| Ann C. | Please protect our children from indoctrination they are too young to understand/make their own informed choices! |
| Brenda D. | Please stop the indoctrination and abuse to our children, this is wrong! |
| Linda W. | Please stop this horrific action. |
| David S. | Please stop this in my community and beloved WKU. |
| Andrew M. | Please stop this madness and assualt on our children. They should not be subject to this abuse. This is sexual abuse to our children. |
| Kelly H. | Protect the children from sexual exploitation period!!! It’s disgusting to see such things on a college campus and town!!! |
| Jordan W. | Protect the children! |
| Justin J. | Protect the children! |
| Timothy R. | Protect the innocence of our children! |
| Courtney H. | Protecting children, their innocence, what they see has to be more important. |
| Ronda A. | So ashamed of WKU |
| Amer S. | Stop this |
| Bobbie C. | Stop this madness and protect our children! |
| Ann B. | Stop this now |
| Rod H. | The President of WKU should be held 100% accountable for this. |
| Mark T. | There also needs to be something done about sexual content of type,live, streaming across all platforms till after certain hrs. Where sensibly children would be in bed and not subject. It use to be that way and needs to be again. |
| Jane M. | There are no words to describe how I feel towards WKU at this moment other than you are sickening! And, as my husband said “ Dero Downing is rolling over in his grave right now”. My husband knew him well, so I feel it was quite accurate. |
| Donna C. | They are grooming children for their nefarious purposes. This is pure evil. We must protect children. |
| Michele M. | This is not age appropriate. You would never allow a child into a strip club nor hand a stripper of either sex a dollar. Adults can live and attend whatever they want but anyone under the age of at least 18 shouldn’t have been allowed to attend. Using the child’s name is also reckless considering you cannot show a child’s face on the news in a story about their school without written consent. This is truly shameful Bowling Green |
| Betty M. | This is pitiful that anyone would let this go on. |
| Mary-John C. | This is ridiculous that we even have to do this. Are you all taking children to or allowing them to come into strip shows??? Where are your heads??? It’s time to take a stand and protect our children!!! |
| Tina J. | This is ridiculous! Provide more educational opportunities for children. |
| Sandra M. | This is unbelievable that you would have something like this with children present! |
| Tammy C. | This kind of entertainment is not for 4 year olds. |
| Kimberly G. | This needs to be stopped!! |
| Deborah B. | Very disappointed in WKU |
| Bonita N. | We can be better than this Kentucky! Protect our children, tomorrow’s leaders, now!!! |
| Mary Sue H. | We need to pray for and protect our innocent children from all kinds of evil! |
| Sonya H. | Why would these things be allowed on our colleague campuses. It is so so concerning. |
| Angela Y. | WKU will never get a dime from me when they support this kind of trash!! |
| Jeffrey M | WKU, you are an educational institution. Stick to it please. |
| Elaine W. | Yes children should not be allowed to be around these men dressing up like woman. Please shut it down immediately! |
| Jeff W. | 😡😡😡 |