GRAND PRAIRIE — A protest at an all-ages drag show devolved into a face-off between neo-Nazis and leftist gun groups on Saturday — the latest and most intense confrontation over the performances which have become a flashpoint in the culture war on LGBTQ rights.

The rally at the Texas Trust CU Theatre was organized by Protect Texas Kids in response to Murray and Peter Present A Drag Queen Christmas, a holiday-themed show featuring performances by alumni from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The stop in Grand Prairie was part of a nationwide tour which also included shows in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi.

Protect Texas Kids, which was founded by University of North Texas alumna Kelly Neidert, seeks to ban children from viewing the performances. Over the past six months, the organization has staged protests outside drag shows in Dallas, Arlington and Roanoke. They were joined at Saturday’s protest by religious organizations, the Christian nationalist New Columbia Movement and the neo-fascist American Nationalist Initiative.

The right-wing groups were opposed by a coalition of counterprotesters, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and heavily armed members of the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, who were openly carrying rifles that they said were intended to protect the show and those in attendance.

Both sides started rallying on the sidewalk in front of the theater about 2 1/2 hours before the show’s 8 p.m. start. The leftists, dressed in black-bloc-style clothing, blared Christmas music and sirens over loudspeakers to drown out chants from the right-wing groups.

Justin Williams, of Fort Worth, said he has been going to drag shows since he was 16. He said the performances “bring people together.”

“It brings joy, and allows people to be unapologetically themselves,” he said.

Williams said he felt somewhat conflicted by the show of support for the show. “I’m grateful on some level there are people willing to do that — but it seems confrontational. It doesn’t make me more comfortable,” he said.

Grand Prairie police reported no arrests or citations during Saturday’s protest.

As the protest kicked off, Neidert said she was impressed by the turnout on her side. But she said she had some worries about a potential appearance from ultra-extreme groups she said she didn’t invite.

“The one group that I’m really concerned about is the neo-Nazi group,” Neidert told The Dallas Morning News about an hour into the protest. “But aside from that, I think that everyone I’ve seen has been fairly peaceful.”

Fewer than 30 minutes later, the neo-Nazi group appeared.

Attendees confronted with Sieg Heils and slurs

As doors opened to the drag performance, 10 members of the neo-Nazi Aryan Freedom Network marched in formation toward the public area in front of the theater. One member of the group carried a flag bearing the Totenkopf skull-and-bones insignia of the Schutzstaffel, Adolf Hitler’s paramilitary organization which operated at the height of Nazi atrocities during World War II. Another wore patches with a swastika and Confederate flag. Several carried signs with homophobic slurs, various Nazi insignia and the website URL for a white-power organization.

The group’s arrival immediately ratcheted tensions as the neo-Nazis, some of whom were carrying concealed weapons, faced off against the armed leftist group separated by several Grand Prairie police officers. The group taunted drag-show attendees as they drove into the theater’s parking lot with homophobic rants, extending middle fingers and straight-armed Nazi salutes to cars driving in.

One man who wore a swastika patch and had a visible handgun loosely hanging out of his camouflage pants repeatedly flicked lit cigarettes at cars driving in as he told them all gay people would burn in hell. Most of the attendees ignored the abuse, staring forward as they drove in.

When several drag-show attendees walked over to confront the neo-Nazis, one neo-Nazi called half of a mixed-race couple a “[expletive]-lover.” Another man was called several anti-Hispanic slurs.

The white nationalists rallied for about 90 minutes before leaving. As they were being escorted by police back to the cars, one of the armed members repeatedly lifted up his shirt and put his hand on the grip of a pistol concealed in his pants pocket. A Grand Prairie police lieutenant on scene said the man did not commit a crime because he never drew the gun and pointed it directly at someone.

Neidert’s group moved to the sidewalk on the other side of the driveway where the neo-Nazis gathered.

“I don’t agree with what’s happening in there,” one member of Neidert’s group told people driving into the parking lot while gesturing toward the theater. “But I also don’t agree with what’s happening right there,” he said, pointing toward the Nazis.

Asked about the neo-Nazis appearing at the protest to support her side, Neidert reiterated that they were not invited by her or Protect Texas Kids.

Neidert has resisted calls to more explicitly and publicly denounce the more extreme and confrontational groups who sometimes appear at her protests.

Growing protests, calls for legislation

Born in gay clubs and bars, drag shows are a cornerstone of LGBTQ culture, and have become increasingly popular in restaurants and bars frequented by non-LGBTQ patrons in recent years. The shows can range from relatively chaste lip-syncing performances to more raunchy dance routines. Some local drag events, including story hours at libraries and performances at church bingos, have been advertised as family friendly shows lacking explicit or inappropriate behavior.

Bar owners and drag performers have told The News they see no difference between allowing children to view the performances and allowing them to see an R-rated movie. They have also described a double standard in protests targeting LGBTQ businesses and patrons, but not restaurants like Hooters or Twin Peaks which also have sexualized themes and allow children, but are frequented more by straight people.

Throughout the year, protests against drag shows have been relatively lightly attended. Saturday’s protest was one of the largest this year, with about 75 people on both sides.

The performances have gotten the attention of some of the state’s top officials. After viral video filmed at a Plano restaurant in October showed a drag queen performing an explicit routine near a child, Attorney General Ken Paxton asked local prosecutors to look into whether the performance violated the law. Plano police later said no laws were broken. Legislators are likely to debate the issue during their next session in January.