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No, ‘Kinky Boots’ isn’t a ‘sexual-themed’ play for kids, it’s a Broadway musical — the controversy, explained

"Kinky" as in odd, not provocative.

The Kinky Boots musical logo
Image via Broadway Direct

“The Kinky Boots musical is a disgusting, provocative display of sexuality,” is what reactionary Twitter account Libs of TikTok would say — in a nutshell — to describe the 2012 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. That’s assuming that the folks behind the account are either ignorant or dumb, considering that the “kinky” in Kinky Boots actually stands for “odd” and “quirky,” and there are no sexual implications at all. They’d also say that Kinky Boots promotes cross-dressing and/or transvestitism, when in fact all it does it encourage self-acceptance and spread the message that self-acceptance breeds acceptance of others. Well, it looks like heterosexual privilege wins again.

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Based on the 2005 British film Kinky Boots, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, the musical is loosely based on a true story and follows Charlie Price, an enthusiastic young man who inherits a shoe factory from his father, the business for which is far from booming. In a last-ditch attempt to save the business, Charlie forms an alliance with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola to produce a line of high-heeled boots. In the process, the pair discover that they’re not from such different worlds after all.

The original production of Kinky Boots premiered at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, starring Stark Sands and Billy Porter as Charlie and Lola, respectively. From there, it became an instant hit and attracted audiences from all over the globe. After making its West End debut in 2015, in 2016, Kinky Boots won three Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.

Libs of TikTok blamed the promotional campaign for the “new show” Kinky Boots for instigating a drag event “for all ages, especially toddlers, preschoolers, and young children” to be hosted at the Olney Theatre Center in Maryland. The tweet complains that tax funding has paid for inappropriate drag events and “sexual themed” plays aimed at kids. The title Kinky Boots supposedly implies an alternative definition, “involving or given to unusual sexual behavior” or describing clothing as “sexually provocative in an unusual way.” Although the name might be misleading, Kinky Boots is far from sexual, as it actually tells a heartwarming story of embracing one’s individuality, teaching us to not judge a book by its cover.

Naturally, the rest of Twitter soon caught wind of the absurdity of this whole scenario, eventually weighing in with their own thoughts. @Esqueer_ didn’t hold anything back, quickly biting back by saying that Libs of TikTok were “stupid” to “not know Kinky Boots is a Tony award-winning musical” that’s been around for decades. And, well, we didn’t want to say it… but they’re not wrong.

Meanwhile, a more on-the-nose response flatly called out Libs of TikTok for thinking something so far off the mark. “It’s about a shoe factory,” @heathtrash wrote. Describing Kinky Boots as “sexually themed” couldn’t be more inaccurate.

After it went on tour in the US in 2014, Kinky Boots received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Democrat & Chronicle wrote, “Flashy, funny and uplifting, Kinky Boots has appeal — and lots of it — for all ‘ladies, gentleman and those who are yet to make up their mind.’” It has long been thought that Kinky Boots elevated the public discourse on gender, namely its flexibility and fluidity. From the success of Kinky Boots came the prevalence of drag culture in mainstream media, which ultimately introduced a step of separation between femininity and just being female. That sounds like a whole lot of self-acceptance to us.