EXCLUSIVE: Smithsonian targets toddlers with Pride flag tutorial

The SAAM event description advertised the “In Person Pride Family Day” for families and kids who could “[e]mbrace [their] creativity with hands-on crafts, strike a pose in [a] photobooth station, and show [their] inner spirit with face painting (for visitors ages 12 and younger).”

Footage, obtained by The Post Millennial, shows adults accompanying small children, including toddlers, at the “hands-on crafts” table where a worker assisted them. A pride flag design tutorial was provided.

https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1665761867699216384?s=20

Face painting, with LQBTQ pride themes, were also available for the kids to try out.

Several musical groups performed, including DC Different Drummers, Snowday DC A Cappella, and Batala.

The DC Different Drummers were last on the schedule for the event. As the group entered the courtyard, each band member had pride flags displayed on their outfits and a group of three people carried pride flags.

As the conductor of the band introduced the Drummers, he wished the audience a “happy Pride” month. He called the Drummers the “nation's capitol LGBTQ band organization and referred to the people carrying the pride flags as the group’s “color guard.”

The conductor announced the Drummer’s first song as Kesha’s “We Are Who We Are” adding “and don’t forget it” referring to LGBTQ identity. The “color guard” tossed the pride flags in the air with different waving and flashy displays while the band played.

A table with some paper materials was displayed for feedback for the event. The same table provided a Pride artwork scavenger hunt for children and families. A copy was obtained by The Post Millennial.

The scavenger hunt sent participants around the museum to track down the colors of the pride flag. “In the Pride flag, the colors of the rainbow represent the diversity and unity of the LGBTQ+ community. Celebrate Pride by creating your own rainbow flag out of works found throughout SAAM!” the flier said.

When each group played it could be heard in different parts of SAAMs and it attracted patrons attending the art museum itself.

A photo booth with a rainbow background was available for families and kids to “strike a pose” with extraneous, colorful outerwear. A sign instructed participants to post the pictures with the hashtag, #atSAAM.

The Smithsonian has been reached for comment.