NORTH BROOKFIELD, Mass. - After voting to cancel a drag show in North Brookfield, the town’s Board of Selectmen said the show can go on, despite a majority of the board refusing to sign off on it.

Chairman Jason Petraitis said at Tuesday night's meeting that town counsel urged the Board of Selectmen to allow the drag show to happen due to the legal risks of not doing so. The ACLU of Massachusetts had sent a letter to the board warning that their prior decision to revoke the drag show permit violated First Amendment rights.

Despite the drag show not needing town approval to go on, a vote for permitting was held once again Tuesday night, but Petraitis abstained from the vote, along with selectman John Tripp, who cited religious beliefs.

“I still think it’s wrong," Tripp said. "In my mind, my religious beliefs and my constitutional right that I have also for freedom of speech and freedom of religion, I still don’t think it’s the right thing.”

The board had originally pulled the drag show’s permit earlier this month because Petraitis viewed it as "adult entertainment," but organizers have maintained that performers would be singing Disney songs and pride anthems to drive home a point of love and acceptance.

Still, Petraitis said by phone Wednesday that he continues to feel the event would exhibit "exaggerated sexual behavior" inappropriate for a family audience, and one town resident who spoke at the meeting called the drag show "an assault on our children."

The show is scheduled to be part of a larger Small Town Pride event in June headed by North Brookfield native Tashena Marie and others involved with the local non-profit Rural Justice Network.

“The comments were definitely hurtful, but I’m trying not to feed into them too much because I don’t think you get anywhere when you fight hate with hate," Marie said. "We’re really just going to try and move forward in a positive way and find ways to bring everybody together.”

But a lack of the Board of Selectmen's full support leaves a bit of uncertainty.

“There’s really just a lot of questions we haven’t been able to get answers for yet, so it’s hard to say too much," Marie said. "I’m not sure what makes our event not allowed to have a permit versus other events besides their own personal beliefs.”

But even though the Board of Selectmen didn’t throw their support behind the drag show, Marie said it was encouraging to see others take up the cause.

“There were a lot more people who were there in support of us than against, I can definitely say that with much confidence," Marie said.

Meanwhile, the ACLU of Massachusetts also weighed in on these latest developments, releasing the following statement from a spokesperson:

“The North Brookfield Select Board’s prior decision to deny ‘Small Town Pride’ the right to include drag performance clearly violated both our state and U.S. constitutions. We are seeking clarification from the Town about some of the details of its latest decision. We will continue to work to ensure our clients are able to host an inclusive and joyous event on non-discriminatory terms.”

The Rural Justice Network is currently discussing how to best move forward with Small Town Pride in the wake of the Board of Selectmen's decision.