Monroe City Council rejects mayor’s effort to target drag shows

The latest chapter of Monroe Mayor Robert Burns’ campaign against drag shows was shot down by the City Council Tuesday night, disappointing a large, devoted crowd of his supporters.

Burns, who won a tie-breaking coin flip to become Monroe’s mayor in 2023, has crusaded against drag shows before and throughout his term, protesting at two businesses and vocally opposing them online and in City Council chambers.

But in a 5-2 vote, the council slammed Burns’ proposal to start a process to define drag as adult entertainment.

Burns wanted to instruct city staff to draft a statement about the city’s commitment to protecting children. He also wanted staff to discuss with the city’s police department and multiple county agencies how to enhance protocols around obscenity and child protection.

But other council members pushed back, saying the council does not have the power to define drag shows as adult entertainment. East Frank Superette, a downtown restaurant known for its quirky ambiance, is the only known place in town hosting drag events. But those events have been age 18 and up since 2023, council members said, making any further action a moot point.

Burns said people have come to the council for two years concerned about drag shows, and he wanted to create a forum for the council to discuss the topic openly.

“In an era where cultural influences can drift, Monroe must stand firm as a guardian of childhood innocence and parental authority,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting.

However, the council’s majority felt further action was unnecessary.

“We’d be putting ink to something that already exists,” said council member Surluta Anthony.

History of drag show controversy

Drag shows in Monroe have been a hot-button topic since 2022, when a child was photographed at a drag bingo event at East Frank Superette, WCNC reported.

Residents protested outside the establishment, calling drag shows “child abuse” and saying the events “sexualized children.”

East Frank Superette’s owners could not immediately be reached for comment.

Tensions between the business and the protesters resulted in dueling lawsuits. East Frank accused the protesters of defamation for claiming the shows “groomed” or “sexualized” children and, as a result, drove away business.

The protesters filed suit against the restaurant, accusing it of digitally altering a photo of them without their permission.

The mayor joined protesters last spring in opposition of a one-person play called “Hello Daddy!” performed by a drag queen at Monroe’s Dowd Theater. He has also taken to social media to express his opposition to the shows for children.

This debate comes shortly after Union County voted to ban events deemed “sexualized” or obscene in county-run parks, a move advocates say targets LGBTQ+ events.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Burns said his agenda item wasn’t about targeting one specific business, but making sure all of Monroe’s businesses know where council stands on the issue.

Monroe’s authority

Residents criticized City Council members online and in-person.

“What is wrong with you?” Monroe resident Michelle Ball asked the council. “It is not a constitutional right to indoctrinate our children.”

But city attorney Richard Long informed the council that they did not have the power to define drag shows as adult entertainment under current state statutes.

Council member Julie Thompson said while she doesn’t believe children should attend drag shows, she doesn’t believe the targeting of East Frank Superette is fair. Especially after it has agreed to work with the city and make its drag events 18+.

“This is the same story over and over again,” she said. “It’s not right for East Frank.”

Council member Franco McGee questioned why the community hasn’t come to speak about the many issues affecting Monroe’s children.

“I have not heard anybody coming up to the podium and talking about the gun violence issue that we have in Monroe. I mean, kids have gotten killed left and right. But I don’t hear anybody that loves the kids come up to the podium and say anything about that,” he said. “So I asked myself, what is this really about?”

Ball told The Charlotte Observer she was disappointed with the council’s decision to not go forward with the mayor’s item.

“They are the weakest council I have ever seen,” she said.

Williams McCain Carr, a Monroe native, drove up from Charleston to see how the council would vote. He said a lot of the conversation has been bigoted and “disgusting.”

“I’m very happy with the council’s decision,” he said. “I’m glad there’s no more taxpayer dollars spent on something that was already solved two years ago.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 4:27 PM.