A video from Westport's Pride celebration has turned a local festival into a statewide talking point, after drag performers were filmed doing a sexually suggestive routine, including twerking, on the grounds of the Alice A. Macomber School on June 28. The clip has rocketed around social media in part because the festival lists State Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues as a sponsor, sparking a debate over whether that kind of programming belongs on town-owned school property.
Event details and sponsorship
Westport's third-annual Pride Fest took place June 28 at the Alice A. Macomber School, according to Fall River Reporter. The event website lists Sen. Rodrigues as a main-stage sponsor alongside Westport Federal Credit Union and J.W. STEELE Custom Canvas. The free, daylong festival was organized by Keith and Jessie Dias of The Cat And Raven and, for the first time, was moved onto town property this year to give vendors and attendees more space.
Video shows provocative stage routine
A video posted to the festival's Facebook page shows drag performers identified in reporting as Samonwebcam, Chocolate Killa, Danni Savage Oniguma and Xibalba Oniguma doing a song-and-dance routine that includes twerking in front of a sign that reads, "Senator Michael Rodrigues: your voice in the senate," as reported by the Boston Herald. In the clip, a videographer captures the performance and can be heard encouraging the crowd to "shake what your momma gave you."
Senator sponsorship and local context
Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues represents the First Bristol and Plymouth district and maintains a State House office in Boston, according to his official page on the Massachusetts Legislature website. The Pride Fest founders were honored at the inaugural Commonwealth Pride Awards just days before the event, and organizers told Fall River Reporter that moving Pride onto town property would "send a message of unity." It is the overlap of Rodrigues' name on sponsor materials with the imagery in the circulating video that has propelled the episode into a broader political conversation.
Political fallout and what comes next
The Boston Herald has framed the clip as a controversy and reported that the video was posted to the festival's Facebook page. The same coverage noted that the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance planned a town-hall event in downtown Boston that will focus on state welfare spending. Rodrigues' Senate contact information remains available on the legislative website for constituents and reporters seeking comment as the video continues to circulate online and the debate over Pride programming on school property plays out.
