Mums and celebs vent their fury over ‘sexualised’ drag queen show for BABIES, featuring nudity and bondage acts
A RAVE for babies featuring bondage-clad acrobats and thong-wearing drag queens was tonight slammed as “gross” by parents.
The risqué acts were part of the CabaBabaRave, organised by London-based mums Gemma Daubney, 38, and Liz West, 37, who describe themselves as ex-performers.
After seeing a video of the show, Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington called it “abhorrent”, adding: “I’m really broad minded but nah.
“This is bulls**t. Not for f**en babies.
“And if you think it is, there is something fundamentally wrong with you.”
The 49-year-old former partner of fellow actor Martin Freeman was later forced to defend herself after some Twitter users accused her of being transphobic.
She hit back: “I lost quite a few followers for saying that a semi-naked man in thigh-high boots dancing in a highly sexualised way shouldn’t be performing in front of babies and it tells me everything I need to know about where society is heading.
“How do you not agree with me on this?”
The baby cabaret is on show at The Vault Festival in South East London and has also been staged in Manchester and Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
The organisers describe it as “a little slice of afternoon delight”, adding: “There’s only so many times you can listen to the f***ing Wheels On The Bus.”
But outraged parents on Mumsnet were far from impressed.
On woman, calling herself Bloodyhellken, said: “It looks a bit like a really crap attempt at Cirque du Soleil but with added bum cheeks.
‘What happened to fluffy bunnies?’
“I honestly don’t understand why anyone would go and see this with a child, or even offer it up as entertainment outside of a nightclub.”
A second, who uses the moniker lifeturnsonadime, wrote: “Why anyone thinks this is appropriate is beyond me, the parents are out of their minds.
A mum calling herself Bernardblackmolluscs said she was “judging the hell” out of parents who take their babies to the show,
And SunriseinWonderland wrote: “There is no way any child of mine would ever be taken to see that s**t.
“I have plenty of gay friends and live in Glastonbury, which is alternative central, but no child should be exposed to a man in a fetish thong or normalise any of that stuff.
“What happened to fluffy bunnies and Beatrix Potter? Aren’t kids allowed to stay innocent now?”
Following the furore, one of the organisers took down her Facebook page for the event and the Instagram account has been set to private.
But The Sun has seen Facebook publicity shots for the show.
In one, a bearded man in a rainbow leotard is holding a cute tot while in another a performer in pink fishnets and matching leather boots is pictured on her hands and knees in a suggestive manner.
Another shows a topless female artist — wearing only a red thong and gold headband — holding a baby in the air.
One mum said: “This is just gross. It’s hardly panto drag, is it?
“I have no qualms about taking my toddlers to see a panto dame but this is way over and above and really sexualised.”
In a plug for the event at The Vaults, the organisers describe the show as “a little slice of afternoon delight that provides show-stopping cabaret interspersed with captivating baby sensory moments . . . ending in a rave.”
They continue: “We wanted to create the type of event that we ourselves as mums would want to go to.
“We wanted to give parents the experience of a ‘big London night out’ — cabaret, drinks and dancing — but one you can bring your baby to and still be home for bedtime.”
The show is the latest drag queen controversy involving young kids.
It emerged last month that Britain’s libraries were hosting Drag Queen Story Hour for three to 11-year-olds.
The organisers say it promotes that “being different is not a bad thing” but the sessions sparked anger from parents, who claim it is sexualised.
Trans rows have also hit British schools and colleges.
This week a school on the Isle of Wight suspended its sex education curriculum after a drag queen guest speaker reportedly told 11-year-olds there are 73 genders.
One “upset” child responded saying “there’s only two” and was allegedly thrown out of the class.
Head teachers are being warned by ministers not to keep parents in the dark over trans teaching.
The Department of Education has told heads they have an “obligation” to share material on sensitive topics, such as same-sex and gender issues, with parents.
Last year, an elite music college was forced to issue an apology after claiming students who wanted single-sex spaces were “transphobic”.
The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London said there was a “zero-tolerance” approach to “Terfs” — a derogatory term linked with transphobic attitudes.
‘Pretty horrific trolling attack’
In Swindon, teacher Kevin Lister, 60, was sacked from a further education college for not referring to a 17-year-old pupil, who was born biologically female, by their preferred male pronoun.
He is now taking action against the school and says “weak” leaders are being influenced by “trans activist teachers”.
But not all parents are shocked by the CabaBabaRave.
One mum with the handle Seasonofthewitch83 wrote: “This is an event that’s been established for quite some time, and the events always sell out.
“Many of the London mums’ Instagram accounts highly recommend it.
“A social media pile-on is not on at all.
“Presumably if you do not want to attend this type of event, then don’t go.
“Not everyone hates drag acts.”
Calls and emails to The Vaults London from The Sun went unanswered.
Calls and texts to the CabaBabaRave’s number were also ignored.
The company posted on an Instagram story: “Just to let our followers know — we have turned our profile to private for a while.
“We have been subjected to a pretty horrific trolling attack . . . and it just keeps coming.
“As mothers with young toddlers and one of us is heavily pregnant this is more stress than we are able to deal with right now.
“These trolls specifically have a problem with drag artists and non-binary performers performing for children . . . which is exceptionally sad, as those who have been to our event will know how much joy, love and happiness our shows bring.”
It added that the images and videos shared on social media were “specifically curated for very young babies and parents . . . not for ‘children of all ages as implied’.
The message went on to point out that cinemas across the country let parents bring babies to special screenings of films of all age ratings on a weekly basis.