Family · Binghamton, NY Metro · October 8, 2026
Oneonta, NY Drag Show at Family Festival Sparks City Hall Clash
At an Oneonta, New York city board meeting Tuesday, residents clashed over a petition to ban drag performances after a Sept. 19 drag show at the City of the Hills Festival, according to WBNG. Attendees said the act was advertised as "family friendly" but the performer warned parents it would be "PG-16." One mother described performers on all fours, simulating sexual movements and receiving tips from children while wearing prosthetics young children did not recognize as costume. LGBTQ advocates countered that opponents were sexualizing the performance and unfairly targeting a protected group; one attendee proposed neutral community standards rather than an outright ban. Mayor Dan Butterman defended the festival, saying he would not have stopped the show and that free expression protections exist precisely for views the majority dislikes. The festival organizer, City of the Hills, issued a statement saying performances were publicized in advance so attendees could choose whether to attend. No city policy change has been adopted; the petition remains under discussion.
Source: WBNG
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Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
Christians should take note when city officials frame sexually explicit public performances before children as protected "authentic expression" rather than a legitimate concern for child welfare. Scripture is clear that leading children into corrupting influences carries serious weight, and civil government bears responsibility to protect the innocence of the young, not merely to referee competing claims of expression. This dispute illustrates the jurisdictional confusion common in local governance today — officials invoking constitutional language to avoid drawing any moral line at all. Families should recognize that "family friendly" branding on public festivals offers no guarantee of actual content, and that silence from concerned parents cedes the public square to those pushing sexualized material onto children.
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. — Matthew 18:6
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From the book
When parents insist on their rights, the tactic shifts to Rule 5. Parents who protect their children are stigmatized as helicopter parents, book banners, bigots. The shaming isolates the family under Rule 13 and drives the social cost of holding traditional values past what most people will pay.
— Chapter 18, “The Expert Against the Parent”
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