In Lancaster Ohio, a 9-year-old boy recently put on a show at a local bar by dressing in drag and performing a sexually suggestive routine to raise cash for charities.
“Miss Mae Hem” sparked outrage in the community after a video surfaced in December showing the boy shaking his money maker for a group of adults at JD Henderson’s Sports Bar, which alleges no advanced knowledge of the performance.
Outraged parents are now calling on the state’s Attorney General to stop the “child exploitation.”
In the video, the boy is dressed in a black wig, tan tights, and a pink thong leotard with black tassels. He’s introduced by a drag queen, who encourages the audience to get their dollars ready for the “next performer.”
The crowd erupted in applause as the child cartwheeled in high-heel boots, doing the splits and gyrating for the audience. Throughout the roughly four minute routine the boy collected cash from patrons like a stripper and deposited his earnings with a group recording the stunt. Dozens of adults who attended simply clapped and sang along to the explicit lyrics.
At one point, the drag queen host of the spectacle pulled money from her cleavage and stuffed it into the young boy’s leotard.
The video was originally posted to Facebook page titled “The City of Lancaster Ohio” that has no official affiliation with the town of roughly 40,000. It’s since been reposted on the Facebook page for Ohio Value Voters, Inc., where it’s sparked a furious outrage among parents disgusted by the scene.
Lancaster Mayor David Scheffler addressed the incident on Facebook, but he seemed to be more concerned with the Facebook page that posted the video than the child’s performance. He alleged the “minor was fully clothed and was not touched by anyone in the audience.
“His parents were in attendance,” the mayor wrote. “During the routine he collected money, purportedly for a charitable cause.”
“After receiving complaints related to this event, the Lancaster Police Department investigated the performance, but could determine no violations of city ordinances or state laws,” Scheffler continued. “The LPD has received no new complaints of this activity at JD Hendersons.”
“I can only surmise that the ‘City of Lancaster’ Facebook poster hid behind the anonymity of the page because he/she knew that the scenario posted was a fabrication,” Scheffler posted.
According to the website Ohio First:
After further research, events such as this one have been promoted (for) over a year by the child’s mother (sources say that the child’s mother is an active Ohio child protective service employee) and “Miss Onyx Ohio” entertainment agency.
Former senate candidate Melissa Ackison, a mother of a two year old, has led the charge to push elected officials to end the sexy kiddy dances.
“There is about 12 different videos of this little boy. I watched them and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Ackison told 1420AM’s Bob Franz. “We all have an obligation to protect children not just our own. You’ll never be able to package up an explanation for allowing a little boy to dress like a little girl and dance for cash tips after hours in a bar.”
The boy’s drag show is well known in the LGBTQ community, which has pushed back on criticism of the video, including threats directed at Ackison.
“Inspired by Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Jacob Measley, 9, of Perrysburg performs in shows around Toledo as drag queen Miss Mae Hem,” according to an August 2018 photo gallery in the Toledo Blade. “This weekend he made his second appearance in the Toledo Pride Festival with performances at Legends and McCune’s along with riding in the parade.”
The gallery featured pictures of Measley posing with his various costumes at his home, where he plots out his performances with his mother’s help. Measley told the Blade RuPaul is his inspiration.
“We started watching (RuPaul’s Drag Race) in season four, and a couple of days later I asked my mom if I could do drag, and she said, ‘Yeah, sure,’” the fourth-grader said.
Measley’s drag shows and his family’s close ties to the LGBTQ community are documented on both his Instagram and Facebook pages, though the latter is currently unavailable. It’s unclear whether the child’s mother is employed by Child Protective Services, though Ackison alleges the agent who books Measley’s drag shows made the claim.
The Blade features photo galleries of Measley dancing for dollars dating back to “Love Fest 2018” in July.
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