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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Drag Queen Story Time at the British Library

356 replies

TundraDweller · 04/02/2020 10:17

Three Drag Queen Story Times in one day -

www.bl.uk/events/family-day-young-rebels

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jadefinch · 04/02/2020 13:53

Even some drag queens have said what goes on in these story hours are not appropriate for children

RUOKHon · 04/02/2020 13:53

I’ve emailed them too.

Fucks sake.

BigFatLiar · 04/02/2020 13:51

Drag is just so nasty. Not at all appropriate for children (or adults really). Never understood the appeal of panto.

Could be worse though, could be clowns!

AbsintheFriends · 04/02/2020 13:42

There was one near me recently - deprived town, lots of social problems, not a liberal leftie place at all. The local paper advertised it with a picture of a grotesquely made up figure with a pneumatic bosom and torture platform stilettos, and parroted some vague nonsensical guff underneath about 'diversity' and 'positivity.'

I SO nearly emailed to challenge it, but am up against an urgent work deadline and knew I would lose half a day emailing, and then be so furious I couldn't focus for the rest of it. But seriously, WTF is 'positive' about presenting young girls with an image of femininity that references a pornographic stereotype?

As a society we're starting to wake up to the fact that we have a generation of young people who are effectively being reared on porn - who think those extreme practices are normal sex, who have no notion of female pleasure, or sex as an expression of tenderness and love. We acknowledge this is a problem. We also worry about young girls whose self esteem and body image are decimated by comparison with photoshopped, cosmetically-enhanced celebrities, who by 12 or 13 are posting selfies in sexualised pouty poses on Instagram and waiting for the day when they can have lip fillers and breast enlargement. AND YET, those in positions of authority, and child education, have no issue with sitting THREE YEAR OLDS in front of a drag queen with rubber-doll lips, fishnets and extreme porn-star tits and branding it as wholesome and positive??

Diversity? What a joke. It's just directing young girls towards the route of fake, man-pleasing femininity at the earliest possible opportunity.

Lordfrontpaw · 04/02/2020 13:41

Scratch that - spotted it...

Langbannedforsafeguardingkids · 04/02/2020 13:41

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3799692-Kitty-Demure-A-friendly-message-to-mothers-who-want-their-kids-influenced-by-drag

This is a relevant thread, the video from Kitty Demure is really good - he's basically saying 'why the hell would you take your kids to this?' I've suggested BL watch it!

Lordfrontpaw · 04/02/2020 13:40

I'm not seeing it advertised on the BL site.

definitelygc · 04/02/2020 13:39

I remember pantomime dames as a child and they came across as creepy clowns whose jokes I didn't understand. If anything it just made me more confused and uncomfortable about gender. As PP said - get in the male ballet dancers/nurses and the female builders/pilots! Kids would learn SO much more from these people.

Lordfrontpaw · 04/02/2020 13:38

I recently read a piece about a little girl wanting to be a drag queen but her mum telling her that it alas, it wasn't to be. Because it would be 'appropriation' and drag queens had been struggling against (not sure what) for decades now... so they might be offended by a girl (dressing as a female). Oh yes, days indeed...

The girl persisted and now dresses as a drag queen 'respectfully'.

The end (not - it's a real story)

Ameanstreakamilewide · 04/02/2020 13:34

I've just written to them myself and given my tuppence worth.

I mentioned that I know that I won't be the only woman voicing their concerns about the spectacle. Which i hope they'll take seriously.

What are the odds that they realise they've done a wrong 'un with this tone deaf drivel and cancel the event?? Hmm

RUOKHon · 04/02/2020 13:31

Yes imagine the uproar if lesbians were reading to children while dressed only in a basque and suspenders.

Fine when a man does it though.

HermioneWeasley · 04/02/2020 13:26

If these events are for LGBT history month, why not have lesbians reading to kids- statistically a very safe demographic.

ThinEndoftheWedge · 04/02/2020 13:23

@ThinkIveFoundYourMarbles

Ontop - obvious
Cherrie - Just in case people don’t make the connection -
take (one's) cherry (redirected from take (someone's) cherry)
take (one's) cherry
vulgar slang To have sexual intercourse with a virgin, especially a female

Well done Belfast - you bloody idiots.

ThinkIveFoundYourMarbles · 04/02/2020 13:13

ThinEndoftheWedge

Indeed. Even the names of these characters say it all.

Lowhum · 04/02/2020 13:07

What adults watch is up to them. What children watch is up to their parents / carers and the adults around them.

ThinEndoftheWedge · 04/02/2020 13:01

@ThinkIveFoundYourMarbles

With Cherrie Ontop... Just googled

More like Spearmint Rhino

fucking hell...

Mockersisrightasusual · 04/02/2020 12:50

Looking forward hugely to pole-dancing story time.

I that a thing, yet?

AudacityOfHope · 04/02/2020 12:40

Our local Waterstones had a drag story time, featuring a man in a basque and suspenders reading to 5 year olds.

There is literally no justification for it whatsoever. If I stripped down to my very modest underwear in Waterstones I'd get arrested.

Angry
ThinkIveFoundYourMarbles · 04/02/2020 12:31

Yep, there's another one coming up in Belfast:

www.youngatart.co.uk/whats-on/dragtime-stories-cherrie-ontop

ThinEndoftheWedge · 04/02/2020 12:13

Is anyone local where they can see what is going on (not sure how to do this as you wouldn’t want your children to attend)?

Grooming and sexualisation of children...

I never minded Lily Savage (was young at the time) - but with the likes of Diamond Good-Rim - it’s horrid

Kantastic · 04/02/2020 11:44

I feel so bad for the little girls who have to watch women being mocked and belittled and caricatured, and have all the adult figures in their life telling them it's normal and acceptable.

I know how stuff like this affected me as a child. I really thought I was crazy because I saw so much misogyny everywhere (without knowing the word or concept of misogyny) and everyone seemed to think it was okay. But at least my mum had some kind of awareness of it all - she would never have dragged me to see a drag act.

Newuser123123 · 04/02/2020 11:23

I have no issue with adults attending such events (as much as I think it's deeply offensive and rooted in misogyny) as we have agency. It's just such a blatant disregard for children's safeguarding, chipping away and it makes me furious.

NormaSnorks · 04/02/2020 11:11

It's everywhere. Am a member of the Royal Society of Literature and was looking at their 2020 events and saw this one:
rsliterature.org/rsl-event/dressing-up/

I know this is aimed at adults but I'll be surprised if it appeals to the core target audience who makes up most of their membership and goes to their events.

Sometimes I feel like there is a huge disconnect between the people who organise these things and their understanding of their audience who (mostly) pays their salaries. That, and the 'woke London lefties' pushing their agenda everywhere.

Mossyrock · 04/02/2020 10:56

Agreed. Sexualised adult humour for children should not be remotely mainstream or presented as rebellious in a positive way. And yet here we are, appropriate boundaries slowly chipped away.

There are so many better options for this event.

Newuser123123 · 04/02/2020 10:49

I mean I guess, at the moment, sexualised adult humour for children is rebellious, but for how long?

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