Drag Queen Storytime at my local library (photo attached)

[Carla786]

I had a lovely trip to my local library yesterday. Spent a long time there choosing books, basically the whole time there was a very noisy toddler event going on in the next room. I didn't mind, they host a lot of stuff for various people & that's good.

As I left, I looked at the posters of various things they were advertising. I saw one for 'Mama G', clearly a drag queen, which I photographed for identification purposes. I thought this nonsense of drag story hours might be quietening down, but clearly not at my library. I'd never seen them advertise anything like that before 🤦‍♀️

Checking the photo when I got home, I saw the event had taken place that day, while I was choosing my books. I wasn't listening particularly hard, but from what I heard it sounded more like a 'panto dame' style event than anything sexualised. It still seems odd and inadvisable though. If a drag Queen wants to do panto style entertainment for kids too, he should have a separate line in that, rather than mixing it up. 'Drag queen shows ' are by nature sexual and adult, so 'drag queen' shows blur boundaries whatever the content/intention.

Do you think that men are a homogeneous group? And you're insinuating that I'm the bigot? Interesting.

I'm glad this view hasn't been the main one on this thread. I think having the option to take children to these sessions is great, and those that don't like it can choose to do something else.

Why settle for either? There is comedy out there that is actually funny.

Christ. Where’s the laugh emoji when you need it

Obviously effeminate gay men were less likely to be in positions of power but that doesn't mean none were.

Historically gay men have often been in positions of power, including effeminate ones. And some have used it to harm women in various ways. Look at the fashion industry for a modern example : obviously many designers are not sexist, but people like Karl Lagerfeld definitely were. Christian Dior I think (afaik) was not unpleasant to women he knew personally but his New Look could be criticised for bringing in very impractical clothing that reinforced the 'decorative 50s lady' image. And some male designers who promoted the unhealthy waif look were gay.

Very worrying....I'm sorry that that happened at your friend's funeral, too.

Sorry, to clarify, I meant the content insofar as it is billed as a 'drag queen' event. The actual event sounded OK but I do not think 'drag queen' should be a phrase associated with kids' events as it seems to too often open the door for bad actors.

This

I think drag queen covers quite a wide spectrum of characters from the cheery / cheesy panto dame to overtly sexual. I think when councils were all stonewall champions there was a competitive liberalness and it just seemed to be moving towards the latter. Does anyone remember this fellow being booked for a summer reading challenge?

I think there’s a proven lack of common sense sometimes so people would prefer it doesn’t happen at all.

Yes, the library is a warm space in my area (upsetting that we're at a stage where increasing numbers of people need to go somewhere else for warmth, but at least it's there). Kids also do homework there, various other services (support for DV victims for one). The books aren't secondary to that, they clearly put a lot of effort in displays etc. But generally people go there to borrow books but not to read them there.

I have taken my grandkids to see mama g perform.10/10 all they way ,they loved it .

I don't see the point either. As a pp said is there a Principal Boy Story Time or a Pantomime Horse Story Time?

Or any Person Who Might Have An Interesting Job And Wears a Uniform Story Time?

Yes, exactly, that's what I'm thinking of when I say it opens the door for potential bad actors.

Have you seen Mama G? Literally a pantomime dame character who reads children’s books about kindness and acceptance. A brilliant performer and a really lovely person.

Wait, is that Mama G? Or someone else?

But you started the thread to suggest that instead of the library staff making a decision about who to book, and trusting them to use their judgment, the whole thing should be banned?

The way this is going, maybe this thread is inadvertently becoming an advert for Mama G for some who enjoy that kind of thing. 🤣 I understand her act is kid-friendly but my concerns about wider drag normalisation remain.

My comment was based on live and let live. I'm sorry you disagree with that as an ethical concept.

Why is it a man dressed as a woman reading stories to children in your picture?

What is wrong with an actual woman reading a story to children? Are we not competent to do that?

If you want a man reading the story why does he need to dress up as a woman?

@Carla786 to answer your question about principal boys in panto, they have largely gone because they were largely a way of ogling a young woman on stage. Principal boys would be cast for long legs they could costume with short shorts (or similar) in a time and place when a catcall would be a group activity from the whole audience, and then many of the stories would have that male character (played by a woman) pursue a female character (also played by a woman) and eventually it just got too far removed from popular entertainment and social norms to work. A panto dame doesn’t appear for catcalling and rarely has a romantic element to their plot point - they have a comic role and principal boys do not.

Regardless of where anyone stands on this that "teaching children it's OK to be different" rationale is complete nonsense.

"Drag queens" are actors. It's a costume they take off.

Then express them in a general manner. Don’t specifically target a nice person who tries to bring literacy and positivity to children.

Genuinely interested as to whether the upset angry people are also upset/angry about Mr Tumble dressing as a woman or Andy in Andy and The Band playing Andy’s mum?

I'm old. I love drag queens. I suspect as I continue to age I will bear more than a passing resemblance to one if I keep applying the slap.

Do you do it? Would you give up your job tomorrow to travel the country bringing literacy and positivity to children? Mama G does it because the performer cares enough to put their money where their mouth is and actually do it. There’s nothing stopping women from choosing to do it if they want to.