Drag kid Desmond is Amazing: ‘Unfounded’ child abuse reports dismissed
(Photo by desmondisamazing/Instagram)
The family of 11-year-old drag kid Desmond is Amazing have spoken out after a stream of child abuse reports were filed against them.
Media coverage of young New York drag star Desmond Napoles has led to a considerable anti-LGBT backlash, and not just on the internet.
The Napoles family say they have faced a tidal wave of abuse over Desmond’s drag shows, with some right-wing commentators even publicly encouraging supporters to file reports of child abuse.
This week the drag star’s mother Wendy Napoles shared a letter from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services that described reports of child abuse as “unfounded.”
‘No proof’ of child abuse against Desmond is Amazing
A state official wrote: “This letter is to give you the results of the investigation into a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment investigated by the local child protective services (CPS) office
“The report was determined to be ‘unfounded’. This means that CPS did not find believable proof that a child was abused or maltreated.”
In an Instagram post, Wendy Napoles added: “This is what it has come to. We have been accused of child abuse, exploitation & maltreatment to the point that we have been backed into a corner trying to defend ourselves.”
Desmond is Amazing star Desmond Napoles prepares backstage at Disney Villains x The Blonds September 2018 during New York Fashion Week: The Show Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 7, 2018 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty)
She added: “[CPS] has investigated us thoroughly. Because of the number of reports they received, our case went all the way to the Governor’s office.
“We had announced visits & unannounced visits to our home nearly daily & at all hours & Desmond’s school.
“Our family was probed more intensely than any other case before. All allegations were ‘unfounded’.”
Desmond Napoles needs security at school after death threats
Wendy Napoles added: “In addition, we were investigated by the NYPD, the Child Advocacy Center, the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Department of Labor, and the District Attorney’s office.
“No abuse or maltreatment was found. No regulations for child performers were broken. No illegal activity has occurred.”
She added that “so many resources could have gone to families that needed help” without the stream of reports.
Wendy Napoles added that Desmond now has “extra security measures in place at his school” after a slew of “hate crimes & death threats.”
She said: “All of this because we allow Desmond to be himself & do what he loves. We are a loving and supporting family. Anyone who knows us or met us can attest to that.”
