Georgia drag event for 'all-ages' is cancelled after backlash from the community

An "all-ages" drag show set to be held in Forsyth County, Georgia was canceled on Monday after facing ongoing backlash for appearing to target children.

The event’s organizer, who performs as a drag queen under the name Mrs. Ivana, promoted the event in March through a flyer from his Facebook page. The flyer read that the show was intended to be "A Family Fun Show" for all ages at Sexton Hall on April 23 and feature "face painting, kids dance off and more."

The event was the latest drag show to receive backlash, as around the country a debate about the appropriateness of children at drag event ensues. Although "Mrs. Ivana" stated that the event drew positive feedback with over 150 tickets sold. The event, according to its ticket website, was canceled with intentions to issue refunds to attendees.

Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick publicly criticized the event and announced a counter "Forsyth Family Fun Day" to be held at the same time as the drag event. 

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"I will not sit idly - at home or in Washington - when radical individuals or organizations attempt to target and indoctrinate our children. In response to the lewd drag queen performance next weekend, I am hosting this event as a constructive, healthy alternative for families," McCormick tweeted on Monday.

After the drag show’s cancelation, McCormick confirmed that his event will still take place.

When the drag show starting garnering attention on Thursday, Forsyth County officials insisted that, despite the drag show planning to take place in a county facility, the county itself does not endorse the event.

"On April 17, the event’s organizer submitted a cancellation notice for their planned event at Sexton Hall, and as such the event has been cancelled at the request of the organizer. Regarding the County’s policy on renting facilities, certain County facilities are available for rent by private parties and groups so long as those persons or groups provide a completed application, pay applicable fees, and submit a damage deposit," Forsyth County said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As with all County rental requests that satisfy the necessary requirements to rent a particular facility, the County honors the rental policy and the organizer’s First Amendment rights to host their event as well as subsequently cancel the event at their own request. With any private event that is held at a Forsyth County rented facility, Forsyth County does not endorse nor sanction the opinions, policies, beliefs, conduct, findings, or experience of those individuals or groups holding the event."

The statement continued, "Forsyth County merely makes its facilities available for community use. In this instance, the applicant satisfied all of the requirements to rent the County facility. As such, the County honored the rental and otherwise respected the individual/group's freedom of expression that rented the facility as well as their decision to cancel the event. The County will continue to honor citizens’ right of expression as guaranteed by the Georgia and US Constitutions."

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The event organizer also apologized and claimed that the intention was not to cause political outrage.

"Our intentions were never to start anything political, they were solely just to entertain and have fun with everyone," "Mrs. Ivana" wrote. "We have listened and heard your concerns, and we want to apologize for giving off any sort of intentions other than that."

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Event information previously stated that kids 15 and under would have to be accompanied by an adult to attend.

The article was updated to include a new statement from Forsyth County.