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.

it’s not really about parodying women, it’s about performing as a drag queen

Then why female names? Why female pronouns? Why hyper femininity? Makeup? Feminine clothes? Wigs? Fake tits? It certainly seems like women are being parodied, considering all that.

To a certain type of people it is, sadly...

It's about exuberance, releasing the inner diva regardless of who you are. I'm not a drag queen btw, but I have had the chance to discuss this with professionals.

Then why not 'release their exuberance' without dressing up in a sexist parody of feminine stereotypes, while assuming female pronouns?

“We’re all born naked, and the rest is drag.”
—RuPaul

Erm...No. That's just silly.

Thank you. I was picturing 1500s jester type performers for some reason!

Yesss. This

Agreed. This is along the lines of what every drag queen I’ve met has said about why they do it. We all need to let our inner diva out sometimes! I think a lot of these posters need to lighten up a bit. There are far more important feminist issues to worry about in the world today

This is nonsensical. What is an 'inner diva', and why does it require makeup, fake tits, and (often sexualised) hyper feminine parodies of women, with female names and pronouns to 'let it out'? And if we 'all need to' then why do 99.5% of people not ever do drag?

Should black people lighten up about blackface, and minstrel shows? And if not, what's the difference? In both cases, you have an oppressor class (white people, or men) parodying and mocking an oppressed class (black people, or women).

Why is that acceptable?

I genuinely find it concerning how many mumnetters still managed to find blackface shows to watch.

You are very right to be suspicious. If you google ‘drag queen conviction’ (I can’t be more specific it tends to get deleted) and have a look at a small selection of examples where men with predatory intentions have used DQ as a route to plausible deniability.

People should wonder there are people that are such staunch (even aggressive at times) defenders of this very niche child related activity. How many genuine accounts have these people provided of their child experiencing great benefits from DQST which outweigh the obvious issues where some children will be plonked in a room with a terrifying looking man by a well meaning but busy parent and have gained absolutely nothing or even suffered .

Has anyone even asked the children if they like it? If it helps them with their reading?

We should also consider why the BBC decided to amend a story about a DQ convicted as a paedophile to remove the reference to him being a DQ despite it clearly being a huge part of his life (I think he was also a Pride organiser).

Or has anyone looked into the DQST performer who raised funds for the funeral of a close friend - a convicted paedophile?

Or the DQ promoted by Scottish MSP
Mhairi Black in schools called Flow job. Why does anyone think a performer called Flow job is a suitable child’s performer?

Remember how plausible deniability is used by many men who want to access children.

Very droll. Would you like to engage my point, or do you prefer to just make light of both racism and misogyny?

ETA: In fact, this proves my point. You WON'T find any minstrel shows to watch, because they're unacceptable. And yet drag queens read to children...

If a library wants to dress up to attract kids, then dress up as a bear, or dog etc etc, not a drag queen. Theres no way I’d take my child to that. I cannot abide the parodying of women. It’s so demeaning. Why go for something so devisive? It makes no sense.

You can be as exuberant as you like in your own home between consenting adults. Keep our kids out of it. Yuck!

WON'T find any minstrel shows to watch, because they're unacceptable. And yet drag queens read to children

Finally….. something we can agree on!

Racism = Bad
Reading to children = Good

I think as a public body when presenting to children the library should think whether it would be acceptable in a primary school, a much more heavily regulated environment. There would be a whole raft of complaints to the council should the primary school try to have a drag queen come in and read stories.

You do realise that you can read to children in an entertaining way without resorting to a misogynistic parody of women, yes?

Your position appears to be:
Racism = Bad
Misogyny = Good

But given you haven't been able to engage with any of my comments in good faith, I'm not surprised.

People let their inner diva out in different ways - by dancing all night, experimenting with extreme makeup styles etc. Drag is just an exaggerated form of that. For some (the ones that I know anyway) it’s got nothing to do with parodying women, it’s exactly like that poster said - releasing the inner diva! Everyone, male and female, has a feminine side and a masculine side, what’s wrong with expressing those sides now and again? Seems very regressive to think we must conform to societal stereotypes of our gender at all times. Releasing your inner diva does tend to involve flamboyant dresses and makeup, but why does that have to be connected to parodying a woman? Just because it’s mostly women who wear dresses and makeup? Why can’t a man dress up like this? He’s not “dressing up as a woman” he’s dressing up in a colourful, elaborate dress and putting on performance makeup. I think a lot of posters are picturing the drag queens of the 90s, where older men
stuck on any old dress & heels and a bit of lippy and stood in a bar telling cringeworthy misogynistic jokes. Drag isn’t like that anymore (good drag anyway). A good friend of mine is an amazing drag queen. He’s a gay man and a makeup artist and he makes his own outfits. He loves experimenting with makeup and performing. He looks incredible. He sings & does comedy and is very funny. His humour doesn’t have a hint of misogyny, it’s mostly aimed at the gay male community. He’s a gay man who likes dressing up. It’s quite hard to “dress up” in traditionally male clothes. Your only option is a tux really. Must be very boring as a man if you like dressing up and you like flamboyant outfits…if you’re the kind of man who cares about regressive gender stereotypes that is. Urrghh I can’t post anymore, my brain is getting tired

Loads of drag queens have gone into primary schools to read to children

If they were going to come to my kids school I would expect forwarning and I’d remove my child for the time they were there. And I’m not even all
that conservative. There’s no need for an adult male to be cross dressing infront of very young children. If that doesn’t scream ‘safeguarding fail’ to you, whet does???

As you say, it’s aimed at the gay male community. Why the hell does he want to branch out to kids? Why do children need to see his ‘diva’. Why not let them be children.

Those of us who are older saw it on prime time on the BBC when we were children. It used to be broadcast on Saturday nights, I recall. I've just Googled - it was on for 20 years: 1958-1978.

I remember asking why the men were blacked up, but the women weren't. There was a lot of glitter involved. I also remember noticing that the women all had to be young and very slim, but the men could be older and rotund.

It must have been a very expensive show to make. It took a long time before the BBC agreed that it was unacceptable.

In what I think was its final iteration, the resident comedian was a very young Lenny Henry.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/lenny-henry-admits-regrets-over-6311582

Don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining.

When a man picks a female name, wants to be referred to by female pronouns, makes up their face in a way that's deliberately trying to make it look feminine, and wears (or contours) fake tits, they're parodying a woman.

This isn't about adhering to regressive stereotypes. If a man wants to wear a flamboyant costume (a dress, a wild tuxedo, or something else entirely), wear eye shadow and lipstick, and sing, dance, and do a comedy routine, then I'd say 'go for gold'.

But drag queens are, by and large, clearly trying to imitate an exaggerated, stereotyped parody of women, and it's silly to pretend otherwise.

Well of course I would never say " I pay your wages" to any public employee if I was unhappy with the way they were carrying out their duties. I would complain through the proper channels.

I was merely pointing this fact out to the pp in this discussion. Because the unprofessionalism and unpleasantness of her comment was out of order.

And I don't know what capacity your Dad was employed in but responding in the way he did hardly shows him or his employers in a good light