Western Kentucky University recently hosted its 10th annual drag show. But this wasn’t just a performance for adults. Children were present. One child, just 4 years old, was photographed placing money in the hands of a drag performer.

That image, with the child’s full name, was published by WKU’s own student newspaper.

Let that sink in. A preschooler. On a public college campus. In front of a stage. Handing money to an adult performer. And the institution that allowed it didn’t just condone it, they hosted it.

Where were the age restrictions? Where was the adult judgment? Where was the basic decency?

This isn’t about drag as an art form. It’s not about hate or division. It’s about harm.

Let’s be clear: adults have the right to express themselves. Drag, like other performance art, is protected speech. And for many, it serves as a place of community and identity. That’s not in question.

What is in question is why children are being brought into these spaces. This isn’t a gray area, it’s a failure to protect. That boundary should be absolute.

Public colleges, funded by your tax dollars, are not meant to be cultural battlegrounds. They are not meant to expose young children to adult themes under the excuse of “inclusivity.”

This is why action must be taken, and this time, it must go further than statements of outrage. It must lead to real, lasting change.

In 2023, the state of Tennessee passed a law banning adult cabaret performances, including drag shows, from taking place in public spaces or anywhere minors could be present. Kentucky tried to follow suit with Senate Bill 147 in 2024. That bill would’ve created clear boundaries, prohibiting adult-themed performances near schools, parks, and churches, and keeping minors out of these events entirely.

It passed the Senate but died in the House. That can’t happen again.

We must demand that our legislature bring SB 147 back in 2026 and pass it.

Kentucky should adopt a total ban on adult-themed performances, including drag shows, on public university grounds, with strict, non-negotiable age restrictions for any adult-oriented event in public venues. No child should ever be present at or near a sexually expressive performance.

Public universities should not be taking sides in divisive cultural movements. Their role is to educate, not to indoctrinate.

We are not powerless. We are parents. We are voters. We are protectors. And it’s time we act like it.

Call your legislators. Demand the return and passage of SB 147. Make it clear: children are off-limits.

This isn’t a time for silence. If you say nothing, you’ve made your choice. There is no middle ground, you’re either protecting children, or you’re allowing them to be exposed.

So, the question is: will you be one of the few who stood up, or the many who looked away? Because in the end, you’ll either be the reason the line was held, or the reason it was lost.

Enough is enough.

— Semir Nailovic is a father from Bowling Green.