(Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer staff)Walton Arts Center on Thursday issued a statement in response to criticism over its recent decision to not allow certain types of drag performances at the venue during the upcoming NWA Pride festival.
The statement, released at around 9:30 p.m. on May 18 via the arts center’s website and social media pages, stood by the decision to deny some NWA Equality Pride Youth Zone activities that led the organization to move the youth zone to the Fayetteville Town Center for this year’s event.
“Walton Arts Center regrets that our recent operational decision around hosting some NWA Equality Pride Youth Zone activities has upset and hurt many in the community, which was not our intention,” the statement began.
The statement reiterated the arts center’s concerns around safety, and planned drag performances in the youth zone.
“When approached by NWA Equality for this year’s Pride events, we reviewed their proposed activities and logistical considerations for our spaces, as we do for all third-party events,” according to the statement. “Due to the charged nationwide political conversations around drag and minors that many times results in divisive and dangerous rhetoric, we asked if there was any way we could help NWA Pride reach its intended goals for the Youth Zone without drag performances for minors. When that was not possible, we requested that those activities be moved to another venue and offered financial support and assistance in securing another location.”
Political pressures also played a part.
“Our concern was not simply around the physical safety surrounding these events, but the policy to not allow parents, guardians and caregivers into the Youth Zone,” the statement continued. “We are equally concerned about how these events might be used in a political context particularly to further attacks against the LGBTQIA+ community, or to undermine the arts education work or overall operation of Walton Arts Center for the entire NWA community.”
“Parents/guardians and children are welcome and encouraged to attend spaces together. Story readings will include community members, some in costume, reading age-appropriate books to children and their parents/guardians. Our Teen Zone is for teens only but has a designated parent/guardian area inside the Teen Zone. Entertainment in this teen space is similar to a high school dance, with DJs, musical acts, and youth-appropriate performers and content, including drag performers,” they said.
Officials with NWA Equality made public the arts center’s decision in a press release issued last week. In the announcement, officials said the arts center informed NWA Equality that its drag performances are no longer allowed in their facilities during Northwest Arkansas Pride Weekend.
NWA Equality said it requested to book the arts center for programming “identical to NWA Pride activities hosted at the facility in previous years.” This year, however, they were told by Peter Lane, Walton Arts Center president and chief executive officer, that the events are not permitted, according to the release.
At the time, WAC officials said the decision was made “in the interest of safety concerns for performers, patrons and staff due to the divisive political rhetoric at this time.”
Walton Arts Center has drawn criticism over the decision since then, with some patrons speaking out about the decision online and claiming they’ve sought refunds on ticket purchases. A public protest organized by Arkansans for Social Justice is also scheduled outside the Walton Arts Center on Saturday.
Board members appointed to the Walton Arts Center Council told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette last week that the board was not asked to vote on the decision to deny drag performances in the youth zone. The board met again on Thursday, and did discuss an early draft of the statement issued last night. Some board members expressed concerns over wording of the statement, but the meeting ended due to lack of quorum before a decision could be reached, one board member told us.
The full statement issued by Walton Arts Center on Thursday is below.
NWA Equality director Richard Gathright said Friday morning that NWA Equality is working on a response to be released later in the day. We’ll add that information to this story once it becomes available.
Walton Arts Center Statement – May 18
Walton Arts Center regrets that our recent operational decision around hosting some NWA Equality Pride Youth Zone activities has upset and hurt many in the community, which was not our intention. We want to share a deeper explanation of the decision.
First, we want to reiterate our unwavering commitment to the safe operation of our spaces and continuing to program our stages with an eye to what is current and relevant, celebrating all the diverse groups reflected in our Northwest Arkansas community. As we stated recently, drag is a performance medium that Walton Arts Center recognizes and presents on our stages regularly, and that will not change.
NWA Equality has long been a valued event client and partner, and Walton Arts Center has been a consistent advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community since our doors opened more than 30 years ago. When approached by NWA Equality for this year’s Pride events, we reviewed their proposed activities and logistical considerations for our spaces, as we do for all third-party events. Due to the charged nationwide political conversations around drag and minors that many times results in divisive and dangerous rhetoric, we asked if there was any way we could help NWA Pride reach its intended goals for the Youth Zone without drag performances for minors. When that was not possible, we requested that those activities be moved to another venue and offered financial support and assistance in securing another location. Conversations continued over several weeks, but we were unable to come to an agreement that worked for both organizations.
We understand that NWA Equality and the community it serves are well aware of safety concerns, as that is something they regrettably have to deal with on a daily basis. Our concern was not simply around the physical safety surrounding these events, but the policy to not allow parents, guardians and caregivers into the Youth Zone. We are equally concerned about how these events might be used in a political context particularly to further attacks against the LGBTQIA+ community, or to undermine the arts education work or overall operation of Walton Arts Center for the entire NWA community.
This was not an easy decision, or one that we took lightly, but is one we believe was necessary for this year’s event. Walton Arts Center has not ended its support for our LGBTQIA+ community, NWA Equality or the Pride Festival.
We encourage the voices of concern and protest to join us in helping cool the heated and hurtful rhetoric of the current political climate. We stand with all who oppose policies that unfairly restrict rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, as those policies harm individuals and impact the ability of businesses and industries across the state to bring artists and visitors to our region.
As an organization, we will learn from this experience and work to ensure that our entire community, including our LGBTQIA+ partners, understand how we assess operational concerns around events, and will commit to bring community partners into operational conversations earlier in the process.
NWA Equality Statement – May 19
Northwest Arkansas Equality (NWA Equality) has released the following statement out of concern for misinformation regarding the activities and parental access at the NWA Pride Youth Zone.
The 2022 NWA Pride Youth Zone had more than 5,000 attendees, including hundreds of parents/guardians accompanying their children, and we expect a similar turnout this year.
As in previous years, the Youth Zone will consist of separate areas for different age groups, including arts and crafts, storybook readings, a space for teens, and a resource fair of LGBTQ-supportive youth-focused organizations for parents/guardians to gain information.
Parents/guardians and children are welcome and encouraged to attend spaces together. Story readings will include community members, some in costume, reading age-appropriate books to children and their parents/guardians. Our Teen Zone is for teens only but has a designated parent/guardian area inside the Teen Zone. Entertainment in this teen space is similar to a high school dance, with DJs, musical acts, and youth-appropriate performers and content, including drag performers.
All vendors, volunteers, and chaperones for the Youth Zone are vetted through an internal process that includes background checks and training. Since 2010, NWA Equality has had a similar background check policy and certification requirements for volunteers and staff working with youth programs, including Child Abuse Prevention training.
NWA Pride’s website will contain a more in-depth FAQ available to the public closer to the event, with answers to logistical questions and descriptions of performers, costumes, and books that families can expect.
The NWA Pride Youth Zone will be located inside the Fayetteville Town Center. The event will occur from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 24, in conjunction with the NWA Pride Festival and the 5 p.m. Parade on Dickson Street.
We thank the community for continuing to support NWA Equality and NWA Pride. We cannot do this work without you!
