Children being read stories by Drag Queens on World Book Day

[AssignedPuuurfectAtBirth]

One of whom refers to himself as "Bristol’s Resident Slag".

WTF now?

www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/parents-anger-over-drag-queens-1254111

Yeah the school seem to have really angered a lot of the parents and taken the fun out of world book day. Shame.

Drag queens, including panto dames, are an over the top piss take of women, is the bottom line.

With an added level of, it's funny to see a man dressed as a woman, when you think about why that might be, it's not good.

Like others I'm fairly ambivalent but I do feel that drag queens are not positive for women in any way, they are a part of gay male culture. I understand there are drag kings as well but how many are famous, on the telly etc? How funny is it when peter pan comes out and it's a woman playing him? It's not funny, not like a man dressed as a woman hahahahahahaha

Anyway

Looking at the website
"We aim to capture the imagination and fun of the gender fluidity of childhood, while giving children a glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role model. By providing spaces in which kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions, we allow them to imagine the world in which people can present as they wish..."

FOR BOYS. What they mean is that this gives a positive message to boys who may be GNC / gay etc.
I can't think of anything positive that girls get from drag queens. When I was a girl and the 2 ronnies, dick emery etc were on and it was HILARIOUS to see them dressed like that, putting on stereotypical voices and mannerisms, adjusting their enormous bosoms, I never really got the joke, and it just made me feel a bit confused and uncomortable. This was on the telly all the time so it must be a "thing" but I just was ??? about it. I haven't changed my view TBH.

The show itself is a whirlwind of fun, stories and sequins and captivated children and adults from the very beginning as our hostess, Alyssa Van Delle, descended the stairs into the room dressed as Mary Poppins

There was a mixture of singing, stories and performance that delighted the kids and a fair few jokes thrown in to make the grown ups laugh! Although Grace is still only relatively little she loved looking at the sparkly dresses and watching the dancing, especially the rendition of wheels on the bus with lots of audience participation

The highlight for me was the completely relaxed fun atmosphere and the way all the kids were free to join in as much or as little as they wanted. Everyone was welcome and we even got time afterwards to have our pictures taken with Alyssa

I would definitely recommend attending a Drag Queen Story Time event to anyone who wants to experience a fun and vibrant event for all the family

Taken from a blog.

Sounds fun to me

Which is your choice if you think that and want to take your child to their show. If you don't agree but aren't given a choice about whether your child participates because it's being put on by school, then that's not ok.

I don't think parents should be given the choice when the message is about tolerance and inclusion.

This isn't about tolerance and inclusion.

OldCrone

From the drag queens or people who dress up in drag that I know at least, If anything the act and preformance of drag is mocking societies perception or expectations of women rather than women themselves, nothing intrinsic to being a woman is mocked. Its an art or an expression of creativity and identity and not about being a woman at all, underneath their costume they are men and as having big hair, fake eyelashes and a miniskirt isnt part of being a woman, none of those things make these men women. Women are included in the drag scene, My DSD is a makeup artist who often does profesional 'drag' makeup, when she dresses up with the costume and stage makeup she will also refer to herself as being in 'drag', the circles of drag queens she's in at least her and other women are very accepted and welcomed. Drag rubbishes gender stereotypes, the idea that wearing makeup is for girls or that wearing a dress makes you any less a boy. Just like you would agree that girls should be able to do 'boy' things like play football and wear trousers because they are not 'boy things', feminism is helping to solve this issue but we are still one step behind and 'drag 'is helping on the other side, boys should be allowed to wear makeup or a dress and still be a boy, they are not 'girl' things they are just things.

"a fair few jokes thrown in to make the grown ups laugh!"

Uh-huh.

Elocutioner don't worry - it is basically compulsory - any children who are taken out from the thing will have a days unauthorised absence marked down.

I would be very dubious about this. I don't need my girls exposed to men taking the piss out of women, which is very much what drag reads as to me, and always has, since I was a child.

shedalight presumably the writer of that article is completely unaware of Lucille Ball or Mae West or Rita Hayworth or Lana Turner or Jane Mansfield and the other female stars of the golden age of Hollywood glamour.

According to their FB site their message is tolerance and inclusion for LGBTQ+

"Why is it funny for a man to dress as a woman?"

"Why isn't it funny for a woman to dress as a man, in the same way?"

Correct answer is because women are inferior to men and therefore for a man to dress as a woman is funny, the same way as people dressing up as / pretending to be animals is funny
Extra humour is provided not just in the dressing up, but in mocking the more extreme forms of femininity which are forced down girls throats via all of our media, and through social approval. Clothing with high heels, makeup. Big hair. Exaggerated mannerisms >> giggling, stance, and so on. So on the one hand, they are aware that this is how girls and women are "supposed" to be, on the other hand they know that this is mocked. Difficult one to navigate.

Awesome for primary school age girls

I don't take my kids to panto. It relies on sexist tropes for its comedy - they don't need to see that. It's a shit British tradition

If it's nothing to do with being like women or looking like women, then why do they all look like caricatures of feminine women? It's absurd to say that it isn't using the idea of woman and femininity as a negative. Drag reinforces gender stereotypes by using them to perform a caricature of women.

The school should be promoting tolerance and inclusion by having a wide variety of people that don't conform to sex-based stereotypes come in to school. Not by just having men who use stereotypes of women to portray them negatively.

SnibbleAgain

FOR BOYS. What they mean is that this gives a positive message to boys who may be GNC / gay etc.

Women are welcome in the drag scene but your right I think drag maybe is most benifitial for young boys but at the moment I think boys need it.
We are already starting to move towards a place where girls who want to traditional boy things are being accepted, girls can wear trousers to school now for example when at one point it just wouldnt be acceptable for a little girl to not be in a dress or a skirt. Whereas how many boys are being given the message that they can wear a dress or want to wear makeup and still be a boy? We are getting rid of male stereotypes buy wanting girls to do things once scene as for boys but getting rid of female stereotypes is neccesary as well, boys should be allowed to do 'girl' things and I dont see this as being detrimental to girls, it is surely a good thing for the girls who dont idenitify as being girly to know that none of those things are an essential part in being a girl.

What we need to do is tell boys and girls that there are no toys or behaviours that are for boys or girls. We don't need drag queens to do that

Didn't phrase that very well!

Women are seen as inferior to men. I don't think they are myself, obviously. Although actually my unconscious bias testing was still not balanced.... Anyway.

A man dressing as a woman is funny for the same reason a child of either sex pretending to be a bear or a monkey is funny.

You can see this hierarchy well with insults.
To insult a man, most of the insults available are to compare him to a woman, or parts of a woman's body. Position him as "less than a man" in some way relating to his sexuality / sexual appeal
To insult a woman, most of the insults available are to compare her to an animal.

When I realised that about insults it was a bit of a watershed moment.

"I don't think parents should be given the choice when the message is about tolerance and inclusion."

And this is the WHOLE fucking problem. What YOU think is about tolerance and inclusion. If you don't agree, you are a facist or a nazi. Why do you get to decide? Fuck off

NO. The answer is NO. You will not impose this shit on my children.

Extra humour is provided not just in the dressing up, but in mocking the more extreme forms of femininity which are forced down girls throats via all of our media, and through social approval. Clothing with high heels, makeup. Big hair. Exaggerated mannerisms >> giggling, stance, and so on. So on the one hand, they are aware that this is how girls and women are "supposed" to be, on the other hand they know that this is mocked. Difficult one to navigate.

Yes, if anything that is what drag queens are mocking, societies pereception of femininity, the expectations of how women should behave, not actual women and what it means to actually be a woman.
None of those things you mentioned a part of being a woman at all and drag shows that, male drag queens can do all that and still be male. Have you every spoken to a drag queen and learnt about drag? or just been offended and cut them off? I think you would be suprised.

They did this at my local library, the kids loved it. They behave in a totally age appropriate way for children and it's a great chance for children to learn about performativity and the ideology of drag, which is part of our rich and diverse cultural history

If you aren't keen just don't let your children go!

upsideup

I'm not so sure - I think this was true in many ways when I was a child (late 70s / early 80s) but I think as women have forged ahead in some areas - we are getting heavily pushed back in others.

At our primary school and preschool the pink / blue and superhero / princess divide has been total, stark and unquestioned (except by me hahaha and all the mums roll their eyes at my "unisex" party plates lol)

"If you aren't keen just don't let your children go!"

And have them marked down as a day's unathorised absence...

It must be tiring to be so mad at every little thing

@DietCokeGirrrrrl you think it's great, that's wonderful for you - take your child to the library. The event being discussed is at a school where the parents aren't getting a choice. They are being told that their only choice is to take an unauthorised absence if they don't agree that a drag queen act is appropriate.

AssignedPuuurfectAtBirth

Op have you ever spoken to a drag queen? Talked about what drag actually is and what it intends to do? The only shit imposed on you children would be that they can wear a dress and makeup and still be a boy and that wearing a dress and make up isnt part of being a girl. If you think that is shit then fine.