At a high school in Wisconsin recently, students got served up something spectacular. The entertainment extravaganza was offered by French teacher Matthew Kashdan, who took to the stage with a lip-synced medley.
As showcased via video online, Matthew absolutely owned it.
The teacher donned Wonder Woman colors amid a super shower of the Lady Gaga/Ariana Grande grandiose gripper “Rain on Me.”
The performance was part of Middleton High School’s “Fine Arts Week,” and Matthew topped it off with a purple wig — which accented his red boots and blue dress:
"Most of you know me as the French teacher, but now you will know me as the drag teacher!" Middleton students treated to this performance as part of "Fine Arts Week." (Middleton students are 47% proficient in math and 49% in language arts.) pic.twitter.com/bEFMIUxXmo
— Dan Lennington (@DanLennington) April 12, 2022
But some parents found the fabulous foray a real drag.
As reported by Empower Wisconsin, one mom or dad emailed conservative talk show host Vicki McKenna about the ordeal.
Courtesy of their complaint:
“I send my children to school and entrust them to teachers that I have to believe are professionals who won’t destroy their innocence for their own pleasure. If Matthew Kashdan makes a decision to perform his drag show at school, what else does he do in his classroom with a roomful of children? What kind of educators thought this was appropriate? Drag shows are ‘fine arts’? If a teacher is a pole dancer or stripper, can they also perform for my children? … I don’t care what Matthew Kashdan does outside of school. I DO CARE what he does at Middleton High School.”
But Shannon Valladolid, Middleton-Cross Plains School District’s director of Information and Public Relations, said parental consent’s long been required for Fine Arts Week attendance.
And:
“The week is full of performances that are enjoyed by students and staff alike. Performances range from music to dance to martial arts, culinary arts, visual arts, language arts, and other arts that fit our extensive definition of The Arts.”
Furthermore, according to a school system spokesperson, only one parent has complained.
The country has certainly turned a corner. Matthew’s performance — like all on display for Fine Arts Week — was indeed vetted by MHS teaching faculty beforehand.
Twenty years ago, a teacher wouldn’t likely have planned to dress in drag and dazzle the student body; staff wouldn’t have likely approved it; and students wouldn’t likely have cheered.
Or maybe they would’ve.
As for all those unlikely’s, social evolution has converted them to probability’s opposite side.
The school’s timing might be considered curious — amid national debate over Florida’s wrongly-labeled “Don’t Say Gay” bill, maybe Middleton was making clear its thoughts on the matter.
Then again, drag has become so ubiquitous, perhaps it was pure coincidence.
After all:
Colorado Middle School Hosts Drag Queen for Career Day
United Methodist Church Holds Drag Show to Protest Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Southern Women’s Shelter Presents ‘Purple Reign’ Drag Show
Public University Spends Student Activity Fees on an $11,000 Drag Show
And:
Nevada Air Force Base Hosts Drag Show, and It's Part of a Softer, Gentler Military
https://t.co/Kua7NrotVL— RedState (@RedState) June 27, 2021
Back to Middleton High, education and academia have radically transformed. These days, teachers decorate their rooms with Pride flags as “LGBTQ” reveals itself as a veritable consonant magnet.
And as letters keep being added, more Americans can join in. Eventually, we’ll possibly all be a part.
In the meantime, cultural revolution is in the rainbow-adorned clouds. And it’s “Raining” down on America.
-ALEX
See more content from me:
Students Learn Their Catholic Priest Professor Doesn’t Support the Pride Flag, Get Together and Cry
Sweet: Florida Woman Tells Judge She Can’t Do Jury Duty — She Has to See Her Sugar Daddy
Find all my RedState work here.
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