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 they? Really? Or would they prefer an actual man or lady? I suspect many children might feel confused and uncomfortable. I know I never really liked the gender swapping in pantos when I was a child. I didn’t get it. I still don’t.

And they won’t admit it, but for many, this will be about wanky parents wanting to take their child to something that looks ‘right on’. Even though the agenda is creepy.

I just don’t see the point. Surely there is something more suitable for pre schoolers than drag?

Also there is a big difference between panto ,which is a funny, paid-for by the audience, tongue-in cheek, and mostly a double entendre scenario which can be viewed as generally harmless fun, and, I would like to emphasise this, a clear-eyed decision to be involved in children’s story times in a local authority-run public place to enable a “normalisation” of cross-dressing in front of vulnerable very young children.

Have you not been to a library in the past 50 years 🤣🤣

Libraries put on a variety of events because, unless its like a university library or similar, people don't go to sit and read

You say this… Noisy singing etc but the content didn't seem inappropriate/sexist afaik.
But then you say this… It's the content, not the noise,,that was the issue for me

So was the content problematic or not?

But reading books to children is a normal part of the children’s section of the library. It helps children find books fun. In fact, when my children were babies we attended a weekly nursery rhyme sing a long class at our library.

Do you really have a problem with children being read to in the library?

Do you find pantomime dames sexual? Do you think that drag queens are sexual 24 hours a day? Do you think that they are somehow different to other people in knowing what is and isn’t appropriate for children??

You write this as though you care about libraries, but if that's what you think they are then you clearly haven't bothered to use one in years.
Council libraries are primarily spaces for people to get online, including managing UC credit portals, and dedicated warm spaces, along with family activities for children. They still loan books but quiet contemplation for reading is not the primary goal (with the exception of larger city centre libraries that have separate floors for academic study)

I’m a bit stupid I just don’t get the problem. The performer would have to be DBS checked, it would have been in a public space with willing participants (parents / toddlers / children). I took my 10m old baby to a drag baby brunch bingo and we had a lovely time. Obviously your a bystander but you was not taking part. Don’t yuk someone else’s yum.

No one is forcing parents to go to these events

So parents going are making the decision the same as panto

Some might say simply seeing a man in drag reading a children's book is less "offensive" than a man in drag making double entendres

My dad used to work for the local council and occasionally had "I pay your wages" thrown at him. He took great delight in pointing out that he also pays council tax therefore paid his own wages.

Yabu the story teller is not dressed in bondage gear!

It's a panto dame - not dissimilar to the Mr tumble guy dressing up as a panto type woman ....

This. They are not intended for sexual gratification. It’s just another art form. It’s a flamboyant, OTT, funny character. I wish people would stop clutching their pearls. “Not in my local library” ffs

Quite eye opening thread and quite scary that so many women don't realise what is happening with "drag queens".

We are not talking "panto dames". Competely different.

So much naivety.

Then they’d have the common sense to check events on that day, and use their critical thinking to gauge if they want to be there at the same time.

Educate us. What is “happening” with drag queens?

I've had the line thrown at me many times. Yet to meet anyone who has used it who actually would be a net contributor. Few people seem to realise that they're not paying anyone's wages, they're just slightly offsetting what they're costing the country in education, NHS and their own pension.

They are not intended for sexual gratification.

And you know this how?

It's not panto and men dressed as drag queens in pantos absolutely ruin it for me - I've never liked them, even as a child - they always gave me the creeps.

Now as adult, I find it misogynistic for men to parody women in this way - not much different to white men putting on black face - in the bin with the lot of them.

The OP made the point that the person concerned needs to create two clearly defined personas.

The issue over the widely reported case in Scotland was that the person concerned failed to do so and had inappropriate images on his social media, given that he was interacting with children. His chosen name didn't do him any favours either although he bowdlerised it partially for the school.

news.stv.tv/west-central/council-apologises-after-drag-queen-visit-to-primary-school

Christ on a bike - don't attend.
It's entertainment.
Live and let live.

All of this. Although that neckline is a bit revealing...

He's behind you💃🧔

Which cases specifically? Can you share links?