'Dave & Busted': Popular Chain Sponsoring 'Youth' Drag Show Leads to Calls for Boycott
People online are calling for a boycott of the restaurant and entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s over the company’s apparent sponsorship of an LGBT event that will feature a children’s drag show.
The Instagram account Yournewpride — for “Northeastern Wisconsin’s largest pride event!” — included the Dave & Buster’s logo in an Aug. 2 post.
“Saturday, September 23rd we are welcoming all ages to the Brown County Fair Grounds,” post said. “Here is the peak at our Saturday schedule. FOUR drag shows, THREE bands, and so much more. We can’t wait!”
The schedule shows a one-hour and 15-minute “Youth Entertainers (Drag Show)” as one of four such shows on the schedule.
The post lists Dave & Buster’s as the event’s “bar sponsor.”
View this post on Instagram
The fairgrounds are in De Pere, Wisconsin, just south of Green Bay.
The schedule image also appears on the Yournewpride website, but instead of “Youth Entertainers” it says “Up and Coming.”
The website version also doesn’t have the Dave & Buster’s logo.
The popular social media page Libs of TikTok shared a copy of the Instagram image on Wednesday and tagged the chain’s account.
“@DaveandBusters is sponsoring a pride event in Wisconsin where children will dress up in drag and perform a sexual themed show as adults clap along and encourage them,” the page posted.
.@DaveandBusters is sponsoring a pride event in Wisconsin where children will dress up in drag and perform a sexual themed show as adults clap along and encourage them. pic.twitter.com/LNWglJZhRq
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 31, 2023
Plenty of people who were outraged over the apparent sponsorship shared their thoughts.
Many of them called for a boycott:
@DaveandBusters doesn’t want our $? Fine by me. Give them the BudLight treatment.
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 31, 2023
Dave & Busted
— James McDaniel (@JamesMcDaniel) August 31, 2023
Time to Bud Lite them.
— Dirty Prune (@Dirty_Prune) August 31, 2023
Guess I’ll never be going to there
— THE OTHER HOLLYWOOD XXX™🔞 (@OtherHollywoodx) August 31, 2023
Shame on @DaveandBusters for supporting the grooming and exploitation of CHILDREN!
— Amber Krabach (@AK4WA) August 31, 2023
Bummer 😔 I guess we’ll have to take our fun elsewhere.
— Christina (@BionicGirlChris) September 1, 2023
Enjoy going broke @DaveandBusters
— Lance (@OkayestLance) August 31, 2023
Dave & Busters had not responded to the Libs of TikTok post as of Monday morning, and its role in the event was unconfirmed.
The Western Journal reached out to the company for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The Dallas-based chain has more than 140 locations, according to its website. It has celebrated LGBT “pride” parties at some of them, according to its Facebook page.
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