Local state representative voices concerns over Ozarks Pridefest
The 2025 Ozarks Pridefest takes place in downtown Springfield on Saturday, June 14.
As an annual celebration, Ozarks Pridefest is the largest LGBTQIA+ event in southwest Missouri, attracting over 5,000 attendees and growing annually, according to its website.
The festival celebrates equality, diversity, and community, featuring a parade through downtown Springfield, live music, performances and a variety of vendors and educational opportunities.
Gragg claims in a press release that the drag performances of the event will have 'detrimental effects' on children and families in the Ozarks community.
'I ask the City of Springfield and its sponsors to reconsider this type of event, as it will expose our children to performances and situations that are not age or developmentally appropriate,' said Gragg in the release.
Gragg said his interest is in 'protecting our children' from themes and experiences that he alleges their minds 'are not prepared to comprehend.'
Gragg said he strongly questioned the wisdom of the City of Springfield's leaders for allowing drag shows in public areas. Gragg said he believes if Springfield wants to allow the event, it should be hosted for adults only and in a location where children are not present or able to view.
In the news release, Gragg tied his concerns to what he described as a broader public health issue, which he says is the rising incidence of mental illness among children and teens.
'Drag shows are inherently sexualized performances,' Gragg said. 'Allowing children to not only view but participate in these acts is only feeding into the mental illness they will have to deal with for a lifetime.'
Gragg concluded by calling on the City of Springfield, event organizers and local sponsors to re-evaluate the implications of labeling drag events as family friendly.
GLO Center responds
Aaron Schekorra, Executive Director of the GLO Center — a local nonprofit that serves the LGBTQIA+ community in the Ozarks — told Ozarks First that Gragg has made this statement numerous times regarding Ozarks Pridefest in the past.
'His concerns continue to be unfounded, both about Ozarks Pridefest specifically and about drag shows,' Schekorra told Ozarks First on Wednesday.
Schekorra said Ozarks Pridefest's organizers go out of their way to ensure the event is family friendly.
'Rep. Gragg routinely uses the LGBTQ+ community as a scapegoat to distract from his ineffectiveness as an elected official,' Schekorra said. 'In 2024, I believe he sponsored nearly 20 bills, and none of them passed into law. We would all be better off if the representative focused on the needs of his constituents, like rising food and healthcare costs, lack of access to affordable housing, and our underfunded public school system.'
Schekorra invites folks to come out to Ozarks Pridefest this year and celebrate, as it is their constitutional right in a public space.
'The event is free,' Schekorra said. 'There are educational opportunities. It's a great time to come out and be a community with us and maybe learn a little bit.'
For more information about Ozarks Pridefest, visit their website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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