A drag performance at Evans restaurant Stay Social Tap and Table has sparked some controversy in Columbia County.
“Drag Me to Dinner” is a show featuring local drag performers, scheduled Wednesday evening and slated as an all-ages show.
A group calling itself “Concerned Parents of Columbia County” circulated a press release to local media outlets on Monday, claiming that it along with another group, Refocus on Education, and “an alliance of area religious leaders” were planning to join in a public protest to the drag show Stay Social’s location at Evans Town Center Boulevard on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
“We believe exposing young children to this type of content is unacceptable and is out of line with the values of Columbia County,” said the press release. “We are also very disturbed with the revelation that $100,000 in tax money is subsidizing the business and these types of events.”
Stay Social did receive $100,000 in funds from the Development Authority of Columbia County from its Destination Retail Incentive Policy fund to help launch the operation, which started last year. One of the minimum requirements for receiving such funds for a project is that the business owner must have already invested at least $250,000.
Qualified uses of the funds include equipment purchases or leases, façade improvements, gap funding—or funding used to encourage a banking partner to issue a loan—and location build-outs or physical improvements to a given location.
The statement goes on to call on the Columbia County Board of Commissioners to amend its county adult entertainment ordinance to “require that drag shows in establishments that serve alcohol must be 18+ only,” and also to ban “drag queen story time” events from Columbia County schools and libraries.
However, by 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, no one arrived at Stay Social claiming to protest the show.
“Not a single person,” said Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputy Cpt. Andy Shedd, who along with Sgt. Jamie Moss provided security for the event.
Refocus on Education issued a public statement on its Facebook page Tuesday countering Concerned Parents’ call to action, denying involvement in any kind of planned protest. Though Refocus on Education did issue a public statement on June 24 denouncing the event, it maintains that its campaign is primarily about informing the public, and that it never coordinated a public protest, calling the call-to-action statement a “false document.”
“Our organization has contacted the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department to confirm that no protest forms were issued in our names, and we have been told that currently there are no protest forms registered for this evening in Columbia County as a whole,” said Katie Allen of Refocus on Education. “Any protests that may take place for the drag event in Evans have no association with Refocus on Education. I do not know who would go to such great lengths to issue a false press release, as that is a serious matter.”
The drag show itself was sold out, to the point where a second show has been scheduled for Thursday evening, and has also sold out. While no one attended protesting the event, there were counter-protesters present prepared to engage anyone who arrived with hostile intentions.
“Originally I wanted to counter their protest with negativity as well, towards them,” said Josh Franklin, a close friend of the performers, who decided to come support them, the audience and the venue after learning about a potential protest on Facebook. His plan, he says, was to dress and act flamboyantly so as to embarrass the protesters, but he ultimately settled on a more conciliatory manner.
“I decided no, I’m just going to see if we can talk to them and see what our difference in opinion is, or what they’re not understanding, or what their idea of a drag show is,” he said.
The show went on, and while tensions remain high, Franklin says the defunct demonstration is a case of “keyboard warriors” unwilling to put action behind their words.
“They’re not willing to say to your face, and that’s kind of how I feel about this,” he said. “They had a lot to say on the internet. But when it comes down to it, we’re here and you’re not.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
