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.

So you've never seen a panto where Aladdin, Peter Pan, Prince Charming etc were played by women?

Because that was every panto when I was a kid. Weirdly I haven't decided I needed to also dress up as a man. Or as a Princess. Or an ugly step sister. Or Widow Twanky. Or an evil magician....see my point here?

Someone dressed as a character reading to children is absolutely fine.

I’d be more concerned that it was on TikTok and hope that no young children had been filmed in the process. Other than that, they look like a panto dame circus clown hybrid which I’m sure the children found entertaining if they were listening to a story for their age group?

Not deep voice, but the principal boy in panto is played by women. Generations of us grew up with this. No confusion was had.

Only on Mumsnet.

Agree, to get back to the point, I don't see that this particular "drag queen" is inappropriate. As I say, more like a panto dame.

this is funny and a classic https://youtube.com/shorts/0niziT4I9k8?si=cD-lF7rU_M0F6Vybhttps://youtube.com/shorts/0niziT4I9k8?si=cD-lF7rU_M0F6Vybhttps://youtube.com/shorts/0niziT4I9k8?si=cD-lF7rU_M0F6Vyb, I am sure that the drag queen story teller was child centered and appropriate. I can remember loving the panto dames when I was little

I think the venn diagram of people who think that drag is blackface and people who complain about racism against white people is a complete circle.

The usual "drag queens/panto dames are just harmless fun!" stance does seem to be very close to the "golliwogs are just harmless fun!" stance.

And it does seem odd that self-consciously progressive types are quick to condemn the golliwogs while giving an emphatic thumbs-up to the gross female caricatures.

Nah, pretty common among left wing women of my age. Maybe you're just in a bit of a bubble yourself.

Oh it's just a bloke dressed up as a clown. Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I thought it was some sexy drag performance moulin rouge style. Why does this bother you @Carla786 ? Do you have sth against circus clowns as well?

If its all fine and basically just panto and not an issue in any way - why arent they also doing "Old folks story time"? who would Im sure get a kick out of someone in costume visiting, telling stories, singing, making them laugh.
Why kids?
There is a reason why they are targeting kids.
Totally not ok.

The uproar over the Paisley case was because the chap concerned cut 'Job' from his drag name - just went by 'Flow' in the school, but had clearly sexual images on his feed. For some inexplicable reason, he shared pictures of his visit to the school - including images of pupils on his feed. This was what caused the furore.

There was a great deal about it in the Scottish press at the time. A couple of them featured the images, of course.

I just wonder why these men need to go round schools with young children to read stories. My son who has autism would have been terrified. My daughter ran away in fear from Charlie Chalk at her birthday party. Why do we subject little children to this. Thankfully mine are grown now

Old folks homes do have drag song time...

Again, totally missing the point about what it is about racism that makes things like gollys so problematic.
Structural racism = power imbalance
Gay men have not historically been responsible for the oppression of women
The characters that drag queens portray have as much to do with gay men as they have women, if not more so (apart from the physical shape, there is very little about drag characters that I would argue is about what it means to be a woman, unless you think that what defines is wearing make up and dresses)

Drag here is a big part of our culture, and goes back a very long time.

I'll never understand why anyone thinks this is necessary (apart from the 'performers' themselves). If they want to read stories to children, why can't they do so as men? And if the library wants women to read, there's no shortage of them around, either.

Do old folks homes traditionally have storytime? Libraries do, for preschoolers.

I have a left wing friend group and work mainly with working class centre or right wingers based on what they share. What bubble do you think I'm in exactly?

That outfit wouldn’t bother me but I have seen some inappropriate outfits worn by men during events like this. It also depends on what they’re reading / what their ‘message’ is. Anything OTT about minorities and diversity would be a no from me, but if the message is about generally being kind then fine I have to admit I’ve got diversity fatigue at the moment

Don't worry, we get it. Believe it or not, you're really not the first person who ever went to university or to understand power imbalances or racism. There were generations of us before you.

I think maybe you need someone to help with your reading comprehension, was story time missing in your childhood?

It's been answered multiple times in the thread, posters have even shared pictures to help!

Can you point out what children's story time events in a library in the UK where a drag performer behaved in a sexual way?

Anyway

Women can be drag queens

Women can be drag kings and dress up as men

Drag queens aren't trans, some might be but they aren't all