ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Cecilia Ford, a local Drag queen in Abilene, is looking to enter a pageant in Orlando. Saturday night, Cecilia’s pageant fundraiser was held at the Abilene Community Theater, a drag show with performances by Ford and other local drag queens, all to help raise funds for the pageant.

“This for us, is a form of art,” said Exodus MMC’s Associate Pastor, Scottie Shelton. “Whether you hear somebody singing with their real voice or maybe lip syncing to something, it’s still an expression of art in our community.”

However, in the days leading up to the show, controversy swirled around the event.

The show originally was advertised for all ages, which some found an issue with, like community member Jason Wilson.

“But thankfully, due to public outcry, people spoke out against that and they raised the age to 18. So we think that’s appropriate for an event like this,” said Wilson.

Before the age requirement was implemented, talks of a protest against the event circulated throughout the community. Supporters of the show stood in the parking lot, forming a counter protest if needed. One of those in attendance was Human Right’s Activist Tina Burgoyne.

“Tonight, I feel like everyone was a little, maybe a little on edge,” explained Burgoyne. “It kind of just made me want to come and support them even more, I was going to attend anyway but even if I don’t go into the fundraiser, I will stay out here and I will continue to support them, stand up and show love.”

With an age requirement in place, ultimately any sort of a protest was dwindled down to merely a shared space of differing opinions and beliefs.

“A man dressing up as a woman, that’s just a direct opposition to the image of God,” proclaimed Judah Davis. “He created man and female and it’s blasphemous to say that, to claim that you can be something other than the way God created you.”

Rev. Scottie Shelton on the other hand, had a different view point when it comes to drag and religion.

“For me, I’ve experienced God as all loving. So it’s not helpful when when people come out here and act like this and talk like this,” Shelton said. “We’re just here to have an evening together and so that to me is like a huge disconnect. And I definitely don’t see how they do that in the name of Christianity, and love ,and the bible, and such as that.”

As the saying goes, the show must go on, and the rest of the event continued without other controversies.