Desmond, the young "hero" drag queen

This kid's story made the news about three years ago. He became an "Instagram star" (of course) and then began appearing on talk shows and news shows like Good Morning America. On the GMA program, he did a 'runway walk' in drag before a cheering audience. He was 11 or 12 years old. He has said that when he was a toddler, he would watch "Ru Paul's Drag Race" with his mom, which sparked his interest in drag.

IMO, this kid has been manipulated terribly by his parents. (Certainly by his mother, at least.) He now has a net worth of around $2 million. More likely, his mom now has a net worth of around $2 million.

I've read many comments about the Desmond story on YT and news sites. It seems that for every comment lauding him as a hero, there are several comments by people who are disgusted, even sickened. It's not uncommon to read replies like "I literally became sick to my stomach" or "This is the creepiest thing I've ever seen".

One of the most insightful comments I saw was posted by a woman on a network news site. She said:

"Desmond is a product of the internet, the 'entertainment industry', and social media. Had he been born one generation ago, this boy would be out riding his bike and discovering the world with his friends. But it's 2020, so he's pole-dancing in drag on television"

It's crazy how the old women in the audience love him. They just can't get enough. Is it that they just think he's cute?
Overall, I get the feeling that the audience looks at him as a performing freak. He has no talent or ability. He's not singing or playing an instrument, he's just walking!


Desmond on Good Morning America:




Matt Walsh, the Voice of Reason:

a reply to: ColeYounger

Most boys his age would be going out and enjoying making friends or playing games, reading comics being active in sports..

a reply to: ColeYounger

I don’t know about this child but I will say I really believe there are people that were born in the wrong body.

We all knew them growing up before it was “popular”. The thing is, it was rare and not celebrated. There is a lot of historical stuff about these kind of people all over the world and for the most part society accepted they were really born in the wrong body.


Now there are a lot of young people that are just doing it for attention. I think back to when I was growing up and there were goths.
This seems similar to me, the only problem is that some of these young folks are going to extreme measures and doing things that are not easily reversible.

originally posted by: ColeYounger

Had he been born one generation ago, this boy would be out riding his bike and discovering the world with his friends. But it's 2020, so he's pole-dancing in drag on television"

I doubt that.

I doubt that's his personality at all.

originally posted by: vNex92
a reply to: ColeYounger

Most boys his age would be going out and enjoying making friends or playing games, reading comics being active in sports..

Really? Many maybe -- but most?

My 14-year-old has no interest in sports, or outdoor activity.

Aren't we beyond stereotyping boys?

a reply to: Annee

No. If we were we wouldn't be so busy convincing ourselves they should be girls if they don't act like boy stereotypes.

a reply to: ColeYounger
As a gay man, there is NO WAY I would expose my child to that trash! A couple of years ago, my partner and I put it on, just to check it out. We didn't make it through half of the show! Stupid AF! Never watched it again!

That mother should have known that isn't appropriate for a pre teen, let alone a toddler!

a reply to: Annee

My 14-year-old has no interest in sports, or outdoor activity.
Aren't we beyond stereotyping boys?

I have friends and relatives with young buys too. Most of them spend an inordinate amount of time playing video games,
whereas young girls are on their phones 24\7.
I guess old stereotypes have just been replaced with new ones.

a reply to: ColeYounger

Desmond, schesmond. That longer quote by a woman pretty much says most of what might be observed by the Desmond Phenomena. It's schlock. Our entire pop entertainment venue is schlock. ''Give you what you like and pay for and we will give you MORE. And when you begin to get a bit tired of it we will twist and tweak it a bit so you can get another charge of OMG''
That you is pop fans in general Cole, not you otherwise you would not be making this thread.

So this kid watched Ru Paul when he was younger. Flamboyance sticks in the mind huh? It's cartoons come to life. Magical. In this case I think it's kids imitate. So he imitated and his mother found that it would bring in a penny and a nickel and a dime until it brought in two million bucks and who knows where that will stop. So exploit it. Why not? Mothers exploited their daughters for decades and decades in beauty pageants. Same thing I guess except for that twist and tweak.

My wife loves Ru Paul. I watched one show with Paul in it once and that was enough. I saw it and I saw ''yeah?'' ''so what?'' A man can dress up like a woman and put on makeup and wear these big hairdos and be prettier then most of the women visiting Walmart.

With much of our population lost in illusion what else should we expect.

Now, to get a bit pushy as I am pretty much on board with your assessment of Des and Ru, I will tell you more of how I see the world in that vein.

A popular figure from real estate who schmoozes with the heights of popular culture and wealth takes that notoriety and exploits it to the fullest, engaging in what ever camera time the media will allow him. He does that for a couple of decades of flamboyance until one networks thinks, ''Ah here is a flamboyant fella who would be perfect to host one of our schlock reality shows so they hire him. And on he goes ''firing'' losers while much of the rest of the country is looking at layoffs and terminations themselves. He runs that show and gains more popular fame. He even goes on a phony sports venue where people pretend to mangle and main each other while growling into the microphone to stadiums filled to the brim with schlock customers. Yeah, him.

So you see Cole, for me, a discussion about Des is meaningless if we don't do our best to discuss it in it's entirety and that is what I just made a simplistic and incomplete run at doing.

Best regards.

a reply to: ColeYounger

This is child abuse being lauded as progressive nonsense.

a reply to: ColeYounger

When this kid looks back in 10 or 20 years time what will he say?

"Thanks for setting me free!" or "Thanks for setting me up" ?

What would be sweet would be a donation of, say, $2M, to an unrelated charity.

originally posted by: ColeYounger
a reply to: Annee

My 14-year-old has no interest in sports, or outdoor activity.
Aren't we beyond stereotyping boys?

I have friends and relatives with young buys too. Most of them spend an inordinate amount of time playing video games,
whereas young girls are on their phones 24\7.
I guess old stereotypes have just been replaced with new ones.

Sounds about right. Times change, interests change.

I personally like sports -- unfortunately 2 ex-husbands had no interest in sports -- and current boyfriend has no interest in sports.

I feel sports deprived as a woman LOL

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Annee

No. If we were we wouldn't be so busy convincing ourselves they should be girls if they don't act like boy stereotypes.

Feel free to live in a past world of unaccepting ignorance.

Humans are not black and white -- they are fluid -- as we are learning by removing the "boxes" society has deemed "proper".

There is so much more to learn and know what makes a person who they are. Not who someone else claims they are.

originally posted by: Backagain
a reply to: ColeYounger
As a gay man, there is NO WAY I would expose my child to that trash! A couple of years ago, my partner and I put it on, just to check it out. We didn't make it through half of the show! Stupid AF! Never watched it again!

That mother should have known that isn't appropriate for a pre teen, let alone a toddler!

Have you seen "Toddlers and Tiaras".

In my mind -- performance art is exactly that.

What's really important is the support system from the caregiver.

a reply to: ColeYounger

These are the types of people who commit suicide after they reach puberty and realize what they've been suckered into.

It's good to know, however, that tv shows didn't play a factor into his short-sighted decisions.

Bet he really loves watching the new Disney cartoons.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Our entire pop entertainment venue is schlock. ''Give you what you like and pay for and we will give you MORE. And when you begin to get a bit tired of it we will twist and tweak it a bit so you can get another charge of OMG''

Agreed. To quote a wise man, "In every generation, the least cultivated tastes have the largest appetites."
Hence, The Kardashians.

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: vNex92
a reply to: ColeYounger

Most boys his age would be going out and enjoying making friends or playing games, reading comics being active in sports..

Really? Many maybe -- but most?

My 14-year-old has no interest in sports, or outdoor activity.

Aren't we beyond stereotyping boys?

No. I have 5 boys between the ages of 5 and 20 and none of them acted like this, they are all into sports except for my 17 year old who is all about robotics and mind-bending puzzle things that the rest of the family can't figure out besides me because he got my nerdy genes while the others got my athletic genes. He still doesn't hesitate to get outside and throw a football, baseball, or frisbee with the rest of us or go fishing/camping.

He's a cute little girl, wait until puberty hits and he gets an Adam's apple the size of a Major League Baseball.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

He's a cute little girl, wait until puberty hits and he gets an Adam's apple the size of a Major League Baseball.

Ahhhhh, but that's what hormone blockers are for.

He can stop that until he's, hopefully, mature enough to make the wisest decision for himself.

originally posted by: LSU2018
a reply to: ColeYounger

These are the types of people who commit suicide after they reach puberty and realize what they've been suckered into.

They commit suicide because of the outside judgement by others.