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.

😂

I'm not sure why you keep putting words in my mouth and creating arguments I haven't made along with insulting me, but I'm quite happy to leave the conversation here too.

He claims he's just a Pantomime Dame. But this is him allegedly. Twerking for little kids.

Drag Queen Teaches Kids To Twerk At Library Story Hour

I don’t see the appeal but horses for courses. Maybe it’s more for like minded parents to meet?

You are being ridiculous. Performers know their audience. Drag queens aren't going to be sexual when reading to children or the librarian would rightly through them out.
It's just a very dressed up person reading a book. Don't like it, don't go.

I do find it interesting how many people still object to men wearing dresses. One of the reasons women can wear trousers was because of women who challenged norms by impersonating men to be able to work, in jobs that either weren't open to women, or were less safe for women. We'd never think of women wearing dresses, shirts or blazers now as 'a woman wearing mens clothes' yet there's been quite a few people on here applying that rule for men.

I'm not responsible for your lack of knowledge of the world. VS is Cardiff-based.

I loathe drag, and I also loathe panto - but I can't get mad about this.

I'd rather have my eyelashes pulled out than listen to a drag queen read a book, but it's not sexual or inappropriate. It's just tedious.

Like panto. Tedious.

Yep. Here he is. Just reading a book.

To little kids.

I didn't say the story time sessions shouldn't be entertaining: of course they should be fun and engage the children's attention and be enjoyable for them!

How else otherwise are you going to get children to WANT to read books and get pleasure from them?

But that is a totally different thing from getting a gimmicky entertainer to put on a show for the children when the whole point is the books and encouraging the children to take pleasure from them.

I'll declare an interest here: I'm long past the age of having children young enough to attend story time sessions. But I was a qualified librarian and worked in various Public (and Academic) libraries in my career. So I do have some professional knowledge.

No I wouldn't.

Again regardless of whether anyone loves or hates drag, you're completely missing the point.

And that's it, in 17 years 1 short clip out of context from a while ago of something I have seen kids doing, and mentioned by countless traditional entertainers and videos aimed at kids to a far more graphic and actual fully sexual way, over the past decade. That is the entirety of what you have.

And that says everything.

@Verytall "You think I'm patronising because I showed you up for commenting when you couldn't be bothered to read the thread?"
Lol you told me I needed to improve my literacy skills and yet managed to misunderstand my comment. I do not think you are patronising for that reason - your comment was patronising.
I dont care at all that you "showed me up" because I havent read the whole thread. I totally dont need to. I know that men dressing up in drag and reading stories to children is wrong.

As someone who has worked in more than one council building where the library space is shared with offices, open plan so with zero sound proofing - I'm aware there are other story time sessions that have no drag queens. Unfortunately many of them do have musical instruments - tambourines, drums, whistles - that are freely loaned to the children. To help them accompany the person singing the story. I have to say, I much prefer the drag storytime in that regard!

I saw plenty of panto dames when I was a kid, I didn’t question it . In Shakespearean times men played all female roles in theatre . It’s fine as long as not sexualised, it’s just acting / performance art

Nice line in patronising misogyny you have there. Honestly, the irony of objecting to over-therapised language and then talking about "manipulated bonding".

Maybe give your head a wobble and acknowledge that not everyone is beguiled by the glitter and sequins and the faux inclusivity. Plenty of women have expressed their views clearly on this thread. Just accept that we're not all going to be bullied and cowed into agreeing with your brand of authoritarian 'manipulated bonding'. We are allowed to disagree.

@Okiedokie123 then don't go? Or you could set up your own company as an alternative if you feel so passionate about it being wrong. Or you could accept that there are non drag storytimes available and that parents can make their own choices about their own children.

Omg it’s a bit of fun. If some of these drag queens’ shows are sexualised/contain sexual jokes when they perform to adults they’re not going to be telling these same jokes/behaving the same way when they’re reading a story to kids! It’s good for kids to see a bit of diversity and fun for them to see some of the incredible outfits and outlandish make-up..it’s panto! No one complains about a man in a dress in kids’ pantomimes (and there’s always at least one). What’s the difference? I took my 4 yo to see a drag show especially for kids recently and she loved all the costumes and singing and dancing. It really is not a big deal. Some adults will turn the slightest thing into “sexualised behaviour” when it’d all go over kids’ heads anyway!

"She"??

What??? I hope that didn't happen in the one I overheard. It didn't sound like it.

Seems like I was right to be suspicious ..!

Your comment speaks volumes. Frankly, it disgusts me.

There are a number of ‘LGBTQ+’ children’s books with extremely unsuitable content that are often the books read by these DQs. The purpose seems to be to introduce Queer Theory (extremely bad for children) into schools and libraries using ‘fun’ DQs as a means to do so.

There are a number of threads on FWR on the unsuitable content of some these books. One that springs to mind features a grandpa in fetish wear, double mastectomy scars on young girls and various questionable symbols that upset the gay community. The guy who wrote claims a trans identity.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4821642-granddads-pride-a-picture-book-for-under-7s

Aha, this article claims that Mama G also controversially asked kids to DM him on X(then Twitter) for colouring sheets. It says he later claimed he only meant this for parents to do, does seem a bit ill-advised

https://www.christian.org.uk/news/drag-queen-story-time-now-showing-toddlers-how-to-twerk/

@Verytall I havent got children under 5 (or even 20) so obviously I wouldnt go because that would be weird. And obviously there are non drag options available.
The fact that I do not have little children doesnt mean I have no reason or right to be concerned about this. Men dressing in drag and performing for little children is wrong. It is an attempt to groom children.