Jason DeShazo, who goes by the drag name Momma Ashley Rose, through the Rose Dynasty Foundation, has become a prominent figure in the world of “family-friendly” drag performances and advocating for inclusion, artistic expression, and community service. But when you look beneath the surface, that does not seem to be the case. Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc has several highly controversial initiatives, including drag shows for kids, promoting adult-themed topics to minors, and using charity work as a vehicle for boundary violation.
Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc partners with local organizations and religious institutions to promote drag queen performances for children. In 2023, the Rose Dynasty Foundation entered into a partnership with Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, to hold drag performances during church services as part of a broader mission to provide a safe space for children to express themselves.
“We’re the Disney of drag … I felt like my call in life was to do something different with my art and from the beginning, I’ve wanted to provide that safe atmosphere and space for all ages.”
Ashley Rose's claim that they are the "Disney of drag" only adds wood to the fire, as Disney has become infamous for promoting age-inappropriate content in schools and children's media. Calling drag performances, with their sexual innuendos and revealing outfits, "family-friendly" normalizes exposing kids to entertainment with adult themes. It blurs the line between childhood innocence and adult sexuality. It can cause confusion and emotional harm. Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc seems intent on pushing an agenda about gender and sexuality, regardless of its impact on the children involved.
Momma Ashley Rose and the Rose Dynasty Foundation have also made a name for themselves in the world of charity fundraising. “Drag Queen Charity Bingo” held at venues like Quinteassence in Lakeland, Florida, encourages attendees to make a $15 donation for the chance to participate in drag bingo games and win prizes. It creates an atmosphere of sexualization and adult-themed entertainment, even while it claims to be raising money for a charitable cause. The invitation for "all ages" to attend these events is particularly concerning when one considers the types of performances that are often involved.
In March 2023, Jason DeShazo (Momma Ashley Rose) was set to speak at a Florida high school event called “Donuts & Drag,” marketed as a positive message about acceptance and love. When the event was canceled, he defended it, claiming it wasn’t a drag show but an empowering message for gender-nonconforming teens. Empowering? If anything, it gives them a skewed understanding of gender and sexual identity, where drag culture is considered “acceptable” for kids and gender is just a performance or a costume.
In May 2024, Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc hosted a “Queer Youth Cosplay Prom,” sponsored by Pineapple Healthcare, an organization that offers “gender-affirming care.” These queer events could be a gateway to endorsing chemical castration as a "solution" for feeling different, especially when backed by organizations directly profiting from these treatments. Momma Ashley Rose and his partner once held leadership roles in Strawberry Rose Health Care, a now-defunct healthcare nonprofit.
Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc is involved with CampOut, an LGBTQ+ summer camp for children ages 10-17. They have raised thousands of dollars for the camp. It is unethical to allow kids as young as 10 years old to explore “gender identity” in such a controlled, institutional setting. Offering “open gender chaperoned lodging” suggests that housing and activities at CampOUT are not sex-separated and girls do not have control over their own privacy. The Rose Dynasty Foundation pushes deeply inappropriate content for kids, promoting books like “I Am Jazz” and “Introducing Teddy,” which expose kids to gender ideology and pronouns as young as 2 years old. Gender fluidity and non-binary identities are not for toddlers.
Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc holds "Teen Nights.” These social gatherings for minors aged 13+ are basically just indoctrination into the Ashley Rose worldview, where adult themes about gender and sexual expression take center stage. He never explains how kids benefit from adult entertainment nor offers more relatable role models for children. Instead, he just insists drag queens are good for kids without ever saying why. Momma Ashley Rose, “the Disney of drag,” has earned a spot on this year’s Gays Against Groomers RADAR Naughty List. No one had a problem with drag until they started involving children. Exposing kids to drag culture is NOT a form of "acceptance." It is an absolute disgrace.
References:
CampOUT Florida. (2024). https://campoutflorida.campmanagement.com/p/request_for_info_m.php?action=enroll
Mandy. (2024). Camp or cult?: The rise of groomer youth retreats and adolescent radicalization. Radar News. https://www.radar.gaysagainstgroomers.com/post/camp-or-cult-the-rise-of-groomer-youth-retreats-and-adolescent-radicalization
Momma’s Story Time Books. (2024). Rose Dynasty Foundation INC. https://www.rosedynastyfoundationinc.org/mommas-story-time-books/
Petit, R. (2023). ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-polk/department-of-education-shuts-down-lakeland-drag-queens-talk-at-orlando-school?_amp=true
Queer Youth Cosplay Prom. (2024). Rose Dynasty Foundation INC. http://www.rosedynasty.org/prom
Razzano, T. (2023). Drag Artists To Perform During Services At St. Pete's Allendale Church. St. Pete, FL Patch. https://patch.com/florida/stpete/drag-artists-perform-during-services-st-pete-s-allendale-church
Rose Dynasty Foundation | You’re Loved Accepted Wanted. (2024). Rose Dynasty Foundation INC. https://www.rosedynastyfoundationinc.org/