Converse Launches LGBT Shoe Line Featuring Preteen ‘Drag Kid’

[saki]

Converse Launches LGBT Shoe Line Featuring Preteen ‘Drag Kid’
Child used for woke marketing campaign
Image Credits: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for GLSEN.

By Dan Lyman Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Converse has announced the release of a new line of shoes celebrating LGBT culture alongside a marketing campaign featuring characters of various sexual orientations, including an 11-year-old ‘drag kid’ who goes by the stage name ‘Desmond Is Amazing.’

“We’re happy to launch our Pride Collection, partnering with six individuals connected to the LGBTQ+ community who show the power of expressing one’s true self,” the apparel company tweeted on Monday.

View image on Twitter

Converse@Converse
We're happy to launch our Pride Collection, partnering with six individuals connected to the LGBTQ+ community who show the power of expressing one's true self. Contributions are supporting @ItGetsBetter @OutMetroWest & @FenwayHealth. https://bit.ly/2DQRgqF
1158:06 AM - May 6, 2019​

178 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Desmond is highlighted on the Converse website wearing a flamboyant outfit and make-up, striking a dramatic dance pose alongside a quote stating, “There is no normal.”

A brief bio describes him as a “drag kid / lgbtq+ advocate.”

Desmond Napoles has autism, according to his parents, who say that his ‘drag performances’ help him to cope with his disability.

He began to garner attention in 2015 after dancing in the NYC Pride Parade, and amid rising popularity on social media, Napoles was invited to appear on Good Morning America, where he danced for the audience and was paid a visit from three adult drag queens.

In late 2018, disturbing video footage surfaced of Desmond performing at gay bars in Brooklyn and San Francisco, while grown men threw bills at him, and shortly afterwards, journalists discovered Desmond had appeared in a interview with infamous 90s “club kid” Michael Alig, who had spent 17 years in jail for the killing and dismemberment of a fellow clubber and drug dealer.

“On Alig’s show ‘Pee-ew!’ 10-year-old Desmond sat between Alig and Alig’s fellow ‘Club Kid’ Ernie Glam, making stilted conversation about the child’s favorite television shows, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and ‘Dragula,'” LifeSite reports. “Over their heads was a painting of a cartoon child skipping rope over the word ‘Rohypnol.’ Rohypnol is a well-known date r*pe drug often used to incapacitate victims marked for sexual assault.”

Some have offered speculation based on evidence and comments made by Desmond’s parents that they may even use proceeds he generates to help support the family.

 

[SHinEeHeaven]

this desmond kid situation is so missed up, I feel sorry for the kid, someone need to save him from these parents and people around him, it is so sick

 

[saintroserosalia]

Everyday I feel that the world is stupider, and more irrational. Why can't they see this LGBTQ friendly campaign is as propaganda-ish as bacon and eggs for breakfast ?

 

[saki]

......more on this... from OUT! Magazine......

FASHION

Exclusive: Converse Just Dropped Its Pride Sneakers for Stonewall 50

For the first time ever, there's a design inspired by the Transgender Pride flag.

BY MIKELLE STREET

MAY 06 2019 7:00 AM EDT





Converse released its official Pride 2019 collection, which include its first sneaker featuring the transgender Pride flag today. The campaign includes the likes of drag kid Desmond Is Amazing, pro-skateboarder Alexis Sablone, and retired United States Navy SEAL Kristin Beck, the projects aims to pay respect to both heroes and rebels.

Running since 2015, the Converse Pride project encapsulates a variety of sneaker designs as well as a capsule collection of apparel. This year’s sneakers include, for the first time, an option inspired by the Transgender Pride flag, utilizing the flags coloring of light blue, pink and white, while adding in glitter. Other designs integrate a now trademark rainbow coloring on the sole. The collection is available for purchase online Monday and in select stores.

“I’m happy to be who I am with supportive people around me,” Felix, a student advocate and nature enthusiast said in a release. “Being transgender does not define who I am, but it doesn’t stop me from being prideful.” Felix’s story along with the stories of Desmond, Sablone, Beck, stylist Ayishat Akanbi and Out’s very own Fran Tirado will all be added to the label’s ongoing “All the Stories are True” campaign.

The sneaker company will also continue its work with organizations like It Gets Better, OUT MetroWest and Fenway Health with charitable contributions, in-kind product donations, as well as employee support at events like the Boston Pride Parade. In New York, Desmond will co-host a drag show, and the company will sponsor the It Gets Better Global Summit as a part of the deal. They will also host a panel discussion for youth in the Converse Soho Store.

The announcement joins a slew of Pride announcements, all bolstered by the 50 year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Other companies like Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue have all announced plans for honoring the occasion. The Converse collection includes t-shirts starting at $25 and tops out with the glittery Chuck 70 Pride High Top for $100.

RELATED | Gus Kenworthy, Milk and the Sexy Models at Jeffrey Fashion Cares 2019

Tags: FASHION, SHOES, SNEAKERS

 

[The Zone]

Converse really sold out and oddly their throwback shoes from the '70s-'80s became all the rage. My Dad had a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse shoes made famous for basketball which was decades before Nike. Anyhow, somebody must have changed ownership for the push for this kind of stuff could not be imagined by the shoe creators. They, for the most part, went belly up for a bit despite Con's being made since the fifties.

 

[Moreaboutyou]

So are they going to come out with heterosexual shoes? I feel left out.

Honestly this is ridiculous. I don't have an issue with people's sexual orientations but my gosh this is silly.

Anything to sell is the motto I see.

 

[yiksmes]

So are they going to come out with heterosexual shoes? I feel left out.

Honestly this is ridiculous. I don't have an issue with people's sexual orientations but my gosh this is silly.

Anything to sell is the motto I see.

True that!
Why cant we also have our own flag, mass media support, creating things for us (like the shoes)
and also when someone doesn't like our way of life be labeled a "heterophobe"..
Lets divide between our selves even more.

Kinda joking - This is silly =))

Never owned a pair of that brand, almost bought one once for a ripstik/snakeboard but found imo a better brand - and Instead of a rainbow flag on the sole of the shoes, it's a Yeti =))

 

[Moreaboutyou]

True that!
Why cant we also have our own flag, mass media support, creating things for us (like the shoes)
and also when someone doesn't like our way of life be labeled a "heterophobe"..
Lets divide between our selves even more.

Kinda joking - This is silly =))

Never owned a pair of that brand, almost bought one once for a ripstik/snakeboard but found imo a better brand - and Instead of a rainbow flag on the sole of the shoes, it's a Yeti =))

HAHAH! Lets do it!

Yeah i personally like the shoes. I don't own a pair, but I think they are cute.

I am not surprised at any sell outs these days

 

[Corvus Metus]

Welcome to outrage marketing, folks. You should have noticed this was a thing when Nike did their "Believe in something, even if you have to sacrifice everything" campaign.

By even sharing this, you're spreading the brand. You're acting as an advertiser. Lord knows the only thing this does for me is remind me how much I love Converse sneakers. 'course I won't buy them since fuckin' Nike is unethical as hell.

 

[Claire Rousseau]

Converse Launches LGBT Shoe Line Featuring Preteen ‘Drag Kid’
Child used for woke marketing campaign
Image Credits: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for GLSEN.

By Dan Lyman Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Converse has announced the release of a new line of shoes celebrating LGBT culture alongside a marketing campaign featuring characters of various sexual orientations, including an 11-year-old ‘drag kid’ who goes by the stage name ‘Desmond Is Amazing.’

“We’re happy to launch our Pride Collection, partnering with six individuals connected to the LGBTQ+ community who show the power of expressing one’s true self,” the apparel company tweeted on Monday.

View image on Twitter

Converse@Converse​

We're happy to launch our Pride Collection, partnering with six individuals connected to the LGBTQ+ community who show the power of expressing one's true self. Contributions are supporting @ItGetsBetter @OutMetroWest & @FenwayHealth. https://bit.ly/2DQRgqF​

1158:06 AM - May 6, 2019​

178 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Desmond is highlighted on the Converse website wearing a flamboyant outfit and make-up, striking a dramatic dance pose alongside a quote stating, “There is no normal.”

A brief bio describes him as a “drag kid / lgbtq+ advocate.”

Desmond Napoles has autism, according to his parents, who say that his ‘drag performances’ help him to cope with his disability.

He began to garner attention in 2015 after dancing in the NYC Pride Parade, and amid rising popularity on social media, Napoles was invited to appear on Good Morning America, where he danced for the audience and was paid a visit from three adult drag queens.

In late 2018, disturbing video footage surfaced of Desmond performing at gay bars in Brooklyn and San Francisco, while grown men threw bills at him, and shortly afterwards, journalists discovered Desmond had appeared in a interview with infamous 90s “club kid” Michael Alig, who had spent 17 years in jail for the killing and dismemberment of a fellow clubber and drug dealer.

“On Alig’s show ‘Pee-ew!’ 10-year-old Desmond sat between Alig and Alig’s fellow ‘Club Kid’ Ernie Glam, making stilted conversation about the child’s favorite television shows, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and ‘Dragula,'” LifeSite reports. “Over their heads was a painting of a cartoon child skipping rope over the word ‘Rohypnol.’ Rohypnol is a well-known date r*pe drug often used to incapacitate victims marked for sexual assault.”

Some have offered speculation based on evidence and comments made by Desmond’s parents that they may even use proceeds he generates to help support the family.

SICK.

Pimping an autistic kid to promote their brands is disturbing & desperate.

WHERE are these kids’ parents??!

Why isn’t there outrage about this Desmond kid hanging out with killer queers?

This is child abuse advertised by Sodom & Gomorrah just because they can.

Disgusting!!

 

[yiksmes]

By even sharing this, you're spreading the brand. You're acting as an advertiser. Lord knows the only thing this does for me is remind me how much I love Converse sneakers. 'course I won't buy them since fuckin' Nike is unethical as hell.

Oh wow, i didn't know they are part of Nike too! - And you're right..

 

[Noname]

I'm all for support the LGBT community, but it's clear Converse's only exploring these kids images since "being transgender" is a popular thing between the youth right now. The shoes are cute, tho.

 

[justjess]

My only thought seeing those ads... cute shoes. But I wouldn’t wear them because I’m not wearing a transgender or lgbt flag on my foot when I’m neither. So honestly I think this marketing ploy will backfire.

Also I don’t think children should be used to promote or refute such a controversial topic. It isn’t fair to them, they should be allowed to be kids even if that is their own identity. It’s a bit exploitive.

 

[Damien50]

My only thought seeing those ads... cute shoes. But I wouldn’t wear them because I’m not wearing a transgender or lgbt flag on my foot when I’m neither. So honestly I think this marketing ploy will backfire.

Also I don’t think children should be used to promote or refute such a controversial topic. It isn’t fair to them, they should be allowed to be kids even if that is their own identity. It’s a bit exploitive.

There's nothing about Desmond that isn't about exploitation.

 

[Claire Rousseau]

No one should fall into the trap of homophobia when opposing this evil. This is not about lgbt people. It's about occult elites agenda.

I’m not “homophobic”.

I’m not afraid of homos.

The word “homophobia” is just a buzzword used to attack anyone who believes the truth:

that homosexuality is unnatural & perverse, which is pretty much what all normal, heterosexual people believe.....at least the ones who haven’t been lobotomized by political and popular culture to falsely believe that homosexuality is just an alternative “lifestyle “


Also, if you do some research, you’ll discover that the satanic “elite” belong to the LGBTQP community.

If you cannot figure that much out, you’ve been hoodwinked.

Homosexuality, promiscuity, bestiality & p***philia (among other depraved sexual practices) are required within satanic/luciferian adherents.

 

[bible_student]

It's about occult elites agenda.

Yes, it's part of it. -

"On 12 January 1952, Rabbi Emanuel Rabinovich was asked to give a keynote speech to the Emergency Council of European Rabbis in Budapest, Hungary. The implications of the following extract are chilling for all to read (especially socialists, communists, 'radicals', politically-correct pressure-groups of all types, and Jewish pressure-groups such as the Anti-Defamation League) who would promote pro-Jewish policies and who would refute that there is a policy to use race relations to degrade society. Here is as blatant an admission as you are going to get and further evidence that the Protocols are very real and actively being updated to synchronise with current world events and the social status as it develops. However, as can be seen from the following, the Jewish Illuminati don't always get it their own way:

"Greetings, my children! You have been called here to recapitulate the principal steps of our new program. As you know, we had hoped to have twenty years between the wars to consolidate the great gains which we made from World War II, but our increasing numbers in certain vital areas is arousing opposition to us, and we must now work with every means at our disposal to precipitate World War III.

"The goal for which we have striven so concertedly for three thousand years is at last within our reach, and because its fulfilment is so apparent, it behooves us to increase our efforts and our caution tenfold. I can safely promise you that before ten years have passed, our race will have its rightful place in the world, with every Jew a king and every gentile a slave! (applause from the gathering)

"You remember the success of our propaganda campaign during the 1930's, which aroused anti-American passions in Germany, at the same time we were arousing anti-German passions in America, a campaign which culminated in the Second World War. A similar propaganda campaign is now being waged intensively throughout the world. A war fever is being worked up in Russia by an incessant anti-American barrage, while a nationwide anti-Communist scare is sweeping America. This campaign is forcing all of the smaller nations to choose between the partnership of Russia or an alliance with the United States.

"Our most pressing problem at the moment is to inflame the lagging militaristic spirit of the Americans. (The failure of the Universal Military Training Act was a great setback to our plans, but we are assured that a suitable measure will be rushed through Congress immediately after the 1952 elections.) The Russian as well as the Asiatic peoples, are well under control, and offer no objections to war, but we must wait to secure the Americans.

"This program will achieve its objective, the Third World War, which will surpass in destruction all previous contests. Israel, of course, will remain neutral, and when both sides are devastated and exhausted, we will arbitrate, sending our Control Commissions into all of the wrecked countries. This war will end for all time our struggle against gentiles. We will openly reveal our identity with the races of Asia and Africa. I can state with assurance that the last generations of white children are being born. Our Control Commissions will, in the interests of peace and wiping out inter-racial tensions, forbid whites to mate with whites. The white women must cohabit with members of the dark races, the white men with black women. Thus the white race will disappear, for mixing the dark with the white means the end of the white man, and our most dangerous enemy, will become only a memory.

"We will embark on an era of ten thousand years of peace and plenty, the Pax Judaica, and our race will rule undisputed over the earth. Our superior intelligence will easily enable us to retain mastery over a world of dark peoples.

"There will be no more religions. Not only would the existence of a priest class remain a constant danger to our rule, but belief in an afterlife would give spiritual strength to irreconcilable elements in many countries. We will, however, retain the rituals and the customs of Judaism as the mark of our hereditary ruling caste, strengthened by our racial laws so that no Jew will be allowed to marry outside our race, nor will any stranger be accepted by us.

"We may have to repeat the grim days of World War II, when we were forced to let the Hitlerite bands (Hitler was a Jew and so were some of his generals) sacrifice some of our people, in order that we may have adequate documentation and witnesses to legally justify our trial and execution of the leaders of America and Russia as war criminals, after we have dictated the peace. I am sure you will need little preparation for such a duty, for sacrifice has always been the watchword of our people, and the death of a few thousand Jews in exchange for world leadership is indeed a small price to pay.

"To convince you of the certainty of that leadership, let me point out to you how we have turned all of the inventions of the white man into weapons against him. His printing presses and radios are the mouthpieces for our desires, and his heavy industry manufactures the instruments which he sends out to arm Asia and Africa against him. Our interests in Washington are greatly extending the Point Four program for developing industry in backward areas of the world so that after industrial plants and cities of Europe and America are destroyed by atomic warfare, the whites can offer no resistance against the larger masses of the dark races, who will maintain an unchallenged technological superiority.

"And so, with the vision of world victory before you, go back to your countries and intensify your good work, until that approaching day when Israel will reveal herself in all her glorious destiny as the Light of the World!"

(Quoted in Canadian Intelligence Service, Sept 1952 and in US publication Common Sense 1952)"

[Read more]

These Protocols could not possibly have been written by any man or men, only by Satan himself with the help of his Synagogue, referred to by Christ in Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are NOT, but [are] (Idumeans) the Synagogue of Satan.


And now what do we do???


Read "The Way home or face The Fire", if you would like to find out.

 

[Moreaboutyou]

SICK.

Pimping an autistic kid to promote their brands is disturbing & desperate.

WHERE are these kids’ parents??!

Why isn’t there outrage about this Desmond kid hanging out with killer queers?

This is child abuse advertised by Sodom & Gomorrah just because they can.

Disgusting!!

AHH I ddi not know that he was autistic. That puts a spin on everything

 

[bible_student]

You can bet that they are just LAUGHING themselves to tears about this..

Why is it being allowed?

 

[mecca]

Other designs integrate a now trademark rainbow coloring on the sole.

Wow lol, now converse is trademarking the lgbt flag. This is just another example that corporations only care about money. They are not making pride shoes because they care about lgbt equality, they're doing it as a way to cash in on the lgbt community and make their brand look "supportive". They’re charging 80 dollars to slap a rainbow on a preexisting shoe design... and of course they’re not donating any of the proceeds to an lgbt charity. The only reason Desmond (as well as those other people) is a part of the ad campaign is because he’s a public figure and they want to use his face to sell more products. It’s a standard endorsement deal. There’s nothing inherently wrong with rainbow shoes and representing lgbt people, Desmond probably likes the shoes too, but it becomes wrong when it’s just a thinly veiled marketing tactic to get more money out of people or when corporations use other people’s struggles to make themselves rich. It’s just plain old capitalist exploitation. I think the term for this phenomenon is pinkwashing and rainbow capitalism.

 

[Moreaboutyou]

No one should fall into the trap of homophobia when opposing this evil. This is not about lgbt people. It's about occult elites agenda.

No one should fall into the trap of homophobia when opposing this evil. This is not about lgbt people. It's about occult elites agenda.

I think that there is a difference between homophobia and not being accepting of homosexuality.

I am sure that no one on here is homophobic. We all love here.