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.

Tbf there are plenty of positive posts. I would imagine he is aware of people who disapprove, and able to brush it off. If he does read this thread (who knows?) I'd say I have no issue with his act aside from billing himself as a drag queen when performing this kind of act for kids.

Drag queens are separate people to their drag personas too and most don't use she/her pronouns outside of drag

Obviously people are confusing drag and trans

Sad

There are different types and also, many have differing acts and names. A library is clearly not booking a sexual nightclub act to read winnie the pooh.

Aw, my mother had a few old books about Sooty & Sweep though I never saw the TV show. Were the people who made that program particularly strict? After all, cartoon characters have had girlfriends ever since Mickey & Minnie Mouse etc

Not sure what is childish about calling out a personal attack. Responding in kind would hardly be a mature approach to take.

Some seem to encourage this though. On this thread someone who says they know Mama G was calling him 'she'. See my earlier post about The Vivienne, alsom

Because they want to. Why do you wear the clothes you choose? Why does anyone?

If someone wants to take their own child to an event like this, they can

If they dont want to, then they dont

No-one is forcing anyone to watch

Its really not that difficult !!!

They were scandalous reprobates (apparently!):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37505309

I did wonder that, as it seems to be just panto to me. But I guess it's the "Drag Queen Story Time" name that's meant to be the pull.

That's so funny 🤣 Unluckily at least some parts of the BBC have swung to the opposite extreme now.

If you are talking about their drag persona, you would say she

How about we don't bring the dead into this as a way to slag people off??

I don't know where you live, but if it's the UK, you'd better be careful. Because here, in the Equality Act, it is race itself that is the protected characteristic. Anybody's race, not one race rather than another. Discrimination against and harassment of white people is just as illegal as any other kind of racist bias. Giving anti-white bigotry a free pass is a poisonous nonsense from America and has no place here.

Oh, he’s well aware of people who disapprove such as yourself. I’m glad it hasn’t stopped him as his shows are joyful, inclusive and fun for children.

I can’t imagine your empathy stretches too far for him as instead of trying to address your concerns with the performer directly (as you could, knowing where the performance was) you have shared screenshots anonymously on a public forum and started a debate about his act.

Drag queens exist, whether you like it or not.

If someone dressed as the gruffalo was reading stories and telling jokes no one would care..

That's a fair point. Are there story time sessions done that way?

So according to that logic it would be acceptable to you for the men employed as teacher's, or police men, or any other occupation to dress up as a parody of a woman while doing their everyday jobs?

I mean everyone knows the jokes on women in society isn't it ?

You do realise that gay, lesbians, crossdressers et al….have been around for a very long time….why the continued OAP bashing?

Yes, and drag kings are a thing, as are male impersonators more generally (Vesta Tilley etc as pp mentioned).

I'm bi myself & I wish drag kings were more of a thing but unfortunately a lot of them seem to have been similarly endorsing the drag/trans blurring.

It's also interesting to note that both principal boys & drag kings generally seem to portray positive male characters. Some drag queens historically did this but panto dames & drag queens now increasingly seem to lean to unpleasant portrayals of women.

I don't think that drag is mocking or abusing women. I think that people who think it does, have a very odd view of what being a woman is, and no one who holds that position has explained how they equate the two. But then I don't see being a woman as wearing dresses, make up, or being dramatic/theatrical, if anything I find it offensive that it's implied that's what being a woman is.

I really couldn’t care less. If people want to wear a dress then why shouldn’t they. I wear trousers. Do you get angry about Scottish men wearing kilts?

No. I dont, I remember them cuddling and an episode where she was ill and sweep had a "broken paw" and Sooty and Scampi tucking them all into bed. And the later cartoon ones in early 2000s cuddled i think.

But there wasnt a scandal around Sue Preem as far as im aware of either and that was Matthew in drag.

I dont think drag is a problem. I understand the difference between a transperson and a person in drag and I dont see the issue in letting someone dressing as a character, either recognisable or one they've invented, to entertain kids. If a child's entertainer says inappropriate things or uses adult material that entertainer is a problem and it needs addressing. But I think just assuming they must be inappropriate is unfair.

I was NOT insulting The Vivienne. My point was about how the media treated him as his petsona when reporting on his tragic death. Using 'she' and 'her' etc. It looks like, ar least judging by what people close to him said, The Vivienne did not actually do this outside of performances.

Clothes aren't gendered

Until they can be used against those nasty menfolks

My kids would have hated that grotesque make up.

Parents should also be concerned which books these men are reading to their kids. It’s generally a vehicle to indoctrinate them into gender ideology.

We're not in opposition. I was making a point about how regressive modern life is.