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Residents and organizers clash at North Manchester meeting over proposed firehouse drag show; organizer says event will be 18+
Summary
Dozens of residents spoke at the Feb. 4 North Manchester Town Council meeting about a proposed drag show at the town-owned firehouse, voicing concerns about children and town standards; the organizer defended the show as performance art and said she would change flyers to restrict attendance to people 18 and older. The council did not take formal action at the meeting.
At the Feb. 4 meeting of the North Manchester Town Council, dozens of residents used the public-comment periods to debate a proposed drag show scheduled for the town-owned firehouse on Main Street, drawing repeated appeals for the event either to be restricted to adults or to be allowed as a community performance.
Resident Russ Reheard, who identified himself during the first comment period, urged the council to set community standards for town-owned buildings. "I think we set the standards for what's proper in our community and I think we can have guidelines for public buildings," he said, adding that the firehouse sits across from churches and should be protected from what he called inappropriate events.
Opponents repeatedly told the council they were concerned about allowing people under 18 to attend. "You don't allow children or non-adults, if you will, to have the choice to do this," said Mark McCombs, a resident who called the proposed performance "sexual based indoctrination." Several others framed their objections in religious or moral terms and asked the council to review the town's rental agreement and oversight of the firehouse.
Organizers and supporters defended the planned performance as nonexplicit entertainment and a legitimate use of a public rental space. "The performances are specifically catered towards all audiences of all ages... Nothing more than you'd see in a musical theater production," said Kayla Harbor, who identified herself as a Manchester University graduate and a member of the LGBTQ community and said she helped organize the event. Producer Clayton Markham said organizers could alter costumes and content to make the show appropriate for different audiences.
During the second public-comment period an organizer said the event would be changed to restrict attendance to adults. "I will be changing the show to an 18 up audience," the speaker told the council, and said the name on the flyers had already been updated prior to the meeting. The organizer also encouraged residents to attend and support local arts.
Council members did not record a motion to ban the event during the meeting. Multiple commenters asked the council to make public the rental or lease agreement between the town and the firehouse organization; council members acknowledged the request and said they had made notes on speakers' concerns. The council scheduled no immediate policy action at the meeting and listed follow-up work and document review as next steps.
The meeting record shows the town did not take formal action to prohibit or regulate the specific event that night; council business continued with new-business items and departmental reports.
The council's next regularly scheduled meeting is March 4 at 7 p.m.
