To not understand drag queens at libraries?

[MouseShoes]

Just recently, there seems to be lots of news stories about drag acts reading books for children at libraries. I don’t understand what this is meant to do. Is it supposed to lead to acceptance as the children get older?

There was one that caused disorder today when concerned Mums turned up to protest at the library.

I don’t understand how it’s supposed to promote tolerance amongst kids.

What do you tell the child when
the child asks if it’s a man or a woman?

What is the “correct” answer in that situation?

I fear I don’t understand enough about the whole trans topic but how is it any different to a white person deciding that they “self identify” as black and painting their skin?

No doubt some will tell me to “educate myself”, but how?

Yeah I dont get this latest trend

Drag is rooted in sexism and mysoginy. Even racism

I don't like it, but I'd be too scared to protest it. I imagine that's how a lot of women feel sadly.

I always thought drag acts were an adult show. No, I don't have children. And no problem with drag acts either. It seems weird, in a bad way, that drag acts need to be recruited for story time though. I just don't get it.

Is it to break down boundaries from children and desensitise them to sexualised material?

The majority of drag queens identify as men and are men who enjoy dressing as a women or expressing themselves artistically through clothes and makeup.
They call themselves 'she' in the character but not that many actually identify as women.

If a child asks if it's a man or a woman you can ask the child what they think and if they say woman because they're wearing a dress/sequins/makeup etc then you can say that men can also wear those things (the idea here is that your child is suddenly aware that sparkles, makeup, feathers etc aren't exclusively reserved for just 'girls'). You can also say that they are a man and go through the above steps. You can also tell your child to ask the performer themselves who will probably have a child friendly response up their sleeves.

Personally I adore drag but I don't think the full drag experience works for youngsters. A lot of it is Blue. But the amazing costumes, makeup, illusions, quick change, hair styling etc is wonderful to look at and great for breaking the mould that it only belongs to women.

I wouldn't like it around my child.

Well, a woman doesn’t have a penis. But it’s fine with someone with a penis to pretend to be a woman as a character. Nothing wrong with that. People take their kids to the pantomime don’t they?

Of course I’d absolutely say that dressing as a drag Queen doesn’t make you a woman, if asked by a child, just as putting the costume on doesn’t make you the Gruffalo when you exit the stage.

Drag is adult entertainment. You wouldn't have a toddler stripping or pole dancing session so why is drag ok?

One near me was advertised as challenging children's boundaries. A sentiment I find quite disturbing. I teach my daughter to trust her instincts and that her boundaries are hers.

I really hope this fad passes quickly.

What i struggle with is that if someone did themselves up in blackface with exaggerated stereotyped characteristics of a black person they would be slated but all of a sudden we are being bombarded by drag queens which to me is dressing in exaggerated stereotyped characteristics of a woman but this is ‘inclusive’ just not getting it myself.

They call themselves 'she' in the character but not that many actually identify as women ...

... sparkles, makeup, feathers etc aren't exclusively reserved for just 'girls'

In theory I totally agree with you here. I'm in favour of challenging gender stereotypes. I don't have a problem with drag. Or a problem with trans people. There are a lot of gender non-conforming artists that I love.

However the current gender ideology muddies the waters a lot. According to Stonewall, male cross-dressers are women. People who use the pronoun "she" are women. So I think answering a child's question about whether the person is a man or a woman becomes quite difficult in that context. I am a biologist and would not want to tell my child that a clearly male person is a woman. But many people would consider me transphobic for that.

I think it started off as some entertainment on the side for the parents attending - a bit like in e.g. Shrek which is a children's film but where some carefully placed innuendo and jokes are very definitely there for adults to enjoy whilst going over children’s heads.

But then it all got a bit strange.

As far as I know, the main difference here is that men in drag aren't taking away opportunities from women whereas actors in blackface were taking away opportunities from black people (or performing at a time when black people weren't allowed to)
There are female drag queens (bioqueens) and there are drag kings (women in drag as men).

That said, equal opportunity for female drag performers is quite recent.

So you are sure that men in drag aren't getting proportionally more jobs reading stories in libraries than women ?

Did I say that? I've never seen the stats to base my opinion on.

That sounds odd. My DC recently met some distant relatives, teen boys, one of whom was wearing make up, women's jewellery and a blouse. I'm glad that, after a quick double take, he was treated just as if he'd been wearing shorts and t shirt. I think this generation of DC are getting used to seeing fluidity in sexual stereotypes and people dressing as they please. To my mind they don't need to have deliberate placing of a certain group in a space or at event meant for kids for them to be tolerant.

It is not for the children’s benefit for entertainment.

According to Stonewall, male cross-dressers are women

I doubt most cross dressers would agree with this. I've met a few and mostly they were men who liked skirts and dresses and definitely didn't see themselves as women.

I didn’t think drag was anything to do with trans people?

Drag is a sort of art form, for entertainment. Like acting or dancing.

Trans is a whole different thing, about crossing from one gender to another in your everyday life.

Whilst I have issues with the 'woman face' thing, more if an issue with the overtly sexualised look, often the names used I have more if an issue with the people enthusiastically organising them.

People who don't look and see what is on the performer's social media

Or do look and for some reason forget all their safeguarding

Who don't question the most extreme of actions, like the monkey dildo thing, or the rolling around on the floor inviting the kids to climb on, join in.

It's like call it drag and common sense goes out of the window.

Anybody who says they don't have a problem with it, what about Widow Twankey? etc are being deliberately naive.

There are so many other interesting, entertaining people who could tell stories. It doesn't have to be in any way sexualised or adult.

I can’t see that drag is anything other than parodying women to ridicule them. I can see it might appeal to certain male fetishes but I don’t think it’s appropriate for children’s story time in a library.

If they wanted to promote diversity and tolerance they could have the reading done by any amount of people from the different protected characteristics from the equality act.

But no, they chose drag, an adult entertainment, often over sexualised parody of women. Disgraceful.

Can you link to this? This is quite different from what I know and have read. Cross dressing is different to trans and is different to drag though a person can be all three.

I think if the idea is to show children that gender stereotypes are silly/limiting then at least they mean well. But having men dressed up as sexualised woman stereotypes is a really shit, potentially harmful way of doing it.