Drag Queen Story Hour

[gymorgin]

Help me consider all views on this. On one side I think drag queens should have their day and be left in history as not appropriate as a feminist point of view. On another, I can see how it could still be allowed for entertainment but perhaps only adults. However, I then think about panto and that has always been deemed acceptable so perhaps there is nothing wrong with this.

I can't quite decide how I feel about this. Help me consider various viewpoints. (In a respectful way.)

We are super excited to announce that Drag Queen Story Hour UK will be joining us for Pride Month!
A fabulous storytelling drag performer will be reading you some exciting stories in a glorious and unique storytime show, just for us!

This was part of my original question, all the thoughts are jumbled in my mind so your post helps to unravel that part of my query.

I think it's fun. If you don't like it, don't go - simple.

I don't see why everyone gets so outraged about blackface and yellowface but apparently think drag is fine.

To me this is an illustration of how women are still seen as lesser and matter less.

Imagine if there was a programme like Ru Paul's Drag Race that was Black & White Minstrel Blackface Race. There would rightly be outrage and disgust. But lets dress up as and mock female stereotyping - that's just fine because it's men doing it to women.

I don't get it. Sure a lot of drag queens are funny and entertaining, but there were a hell of a lot of people who thought the Black & White Minstrel show was entertaining.

You think?

As a kid I always saw the panto dame as a clown, weird and silly, but not kinky.
The drag queens seem more into expressing their kinks, not being fun and clownish, not child friendly at all.

www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/features/pantomime/

This is quite interesting on panto dames OP.

There’s a drag artist in my town who does popular bingo nights. I’ve been to one because friends wanted to. He’s more the traditional type but there’s no way I’d want him reading a story to my 9yo.
At best it’s woman face, which is not on. It’s often a sexual kink.

Is this outfit appropriate?

safeschoolsallianceuk.net/2022/08/07/aida-h-dee-and-the-drag-queen-story-hour-summer-tour/amp/

I don’t understand what my child would learn from it. That a man dressing up in exaggerated feminine costume and make up is amusing?
if it’s connected to being gay - why is this a good role model for a shy gay boy who just wants to feel normal?

I too always felt uncomfortable with Panto Dames as a child, although I didn’t know why.

It would be a cold day in hell before I took my beautiful boys to a storytelling session run by a man in grotesque caricature of a woman, who desperately wanted to be surrounded by small children. Ugh.

No, I don't like drag as it's just woman face and why anyone thinks that it's appropriate for story time is beyond me. I'm also fed up with being called a prude because I feel it's over sexualized.

They never want to perform in Care Homes, do they?

I don’t see any Drag Queens desperate to perform in care homes. Wonder why that is?

Lol same! 😄

A previous MN poster posted to say that the children are not the audience, the children are part of the act. Unknown to them, and equally unknown to their parents.

That made sense to me, explains why DQs don't perform in care homes, and it finally nailed why I find myself uncomfortable with DQSH.

At some DQSHs, although the DQ is never alone with the children, the children are encouraged to physically interact with the DQ.

I would google the performer beforehand, to make sure they weren't wearing sexualised costumes. But the majority of events are fine, very different of a deap performance that you would see in a pub or club. Dd enjoyed the ones she went to, she liked the colourful costumes, the reading and the little song and dance routines.

What is this all about? When you consider the constraints on school budgets and the amazing experiences (musical, dramatic, animal-based) that children could be given in school form outsiders, this seems to be like some kind of bad joke.

African drumming sessions, TIE, talks/interactions with animals, Forest School activities - the list is huge, but yet they have to had a story read by a drag queen? Just why?

Totally agree with this

Exactly! It's access to children to spread their ideology that they're interested in.

If all they wanted to do was read to kids then there aren't many schools in the country that wouldn't welcome them with open arms if they didn't drag up. So it's clearly NOT just about reading to kids, there must be an alternative motive. Given the fuss they kick up I suspect the alternative motive is much more important to them, and in fact they probably don't actually give a shit about the kids at all.

Love drag, it's always been a big part of gay culture, nights etc but don't like how mainstream it's become now. No objection to drag storytelling so long as it's age appropriate, more panto style and deffo not sexual in anyway.
I don't know any other gay people who think that sexual innuendo adult type drag should be for kids. It seems to be straight 'allies' who think it's ok/funny...

Drag isn't a kids thing, so you have to ask why some DQ's are so keen to do ST?

Why not go read in the old people's home? For example.

As for the kids, stories can be read by anyone? Why priorise this?

So yes, I think people are right to question

AND they're adults, so they don't get people coming in to read them fairy stories that much 98

Reading to older people in homes is definitely a thing. It doesn't have to be fairy stories.

Actually I think that you will find that lots of older people aren't bigots. Spoken as a 67 year old.

Because that older generation tend to be absolute BIGOTS when it comes to gay people AND they're adults, so they don't get people coming in to read them fairy stories that much. Seems blatantly obvious to me.

Good grief this is literally dripping with casual agism.

And hypocrisy!

I've reported the ageist comment. So bigoted.