Drag Queen Story Time

[LizzyStrata]

First time posting here, so not sure of the etiquette. My apologies if this is the wrong place to raise these concerns.

Reading Borough Council is planning to hold Drag Queen Story Hour events in our libraries during the summer holidays. I’ve written to my MP, my councillors, and the Head of the Library Service to raise concerns. I think drag is entirely inappropriate for children, as it is a form of adult entertainment, highly sexualised and misogynistic, that blurs boundaries and undermines safeguarding.

The response Ive had is simply that they have received very few complaints so no reason to cancel.

Has anyone had any experience of tackling their local library over this issue? Grateful for any tips.

Also, if you live in Berkshire ,would you be willing to write and share your concerns?

thanks!

Can I just clarify, are people here saying that it is ok to send their children to interact with and hear stories from someone who has a visible erection ? WTAF 🤮

desperate stuff, this. First of all, she wasn’t routinely on daytime Tv. Second of all, as has been pointed out, there are clear differences between humphries act and the sort of drag acts we are talking about here. Third, you are still failing to point out any respect in which this activity benefits children.

I think it's that the visible erection is not real, it's a trick of the light, and we're imagining it because we have such filthy minds, pearl-clutching prudes that we are.

And even if it is real, it's OK, because some parents take their children to pantomimes.

Or something.

Would you say they are gender critical beliefs?

@NYcupcake may I draw your attention to this diagram? I would judge those protesters to be in the green/red overlap area

nothing you have quoted marks them out as having gender critical or second wave feminist views, but if you have further quotes I’m all ears

Would I say what are gender critical beliefs?

There are only two sexes is a scientific fact. People can't change sex is a scientific fact.

Neither Dame Edna nor WIndow Twinky are drag acts in the sense of gay men who perform a certain kind of act, typically in nightclubs. They don't even have the same "look." They aren't drag queens as such. Barry Humphries is an actor and writer who has many character roles, many of whom are male, and he's not, as it happens, gay.

DQ story time is about drag queens, who are homosexual, that is the whole point. That's why it's "diversity".

Talking about Dame Edna is completely disingenuous.

"clear differences between humphries act and the sort of drag acts we are talking about here."

So true, Dame Edna did not read children stories and these drag acts are. That is why they are suitable for kids.

Yep.

There are only two sexes.
Sex is immutable.

Those are not 'gender critical' beliefs unless you want to class virtually everyone in the world as 'gender critical'. You are free to try and do that, but most people will not have a clue what you're talking about.

'gender critical' feminism is feminism that criticises both the imposition of limiting stereotypes (gender) on people and the idea that gender is analogous to sex.

"He's not, as it happens, gay."

Very true. If these drag queens weren't gay no one would have an issue. It's about homophobia and nothing else. Thank you for pointing this out.

Hearach15 · Today 14:25

ScrollingLeaves · Today 13:51

^GoodJanetBadJanet · Today 13:41
Heh. I think the notion that he would be considered a suitable children’s entertainer would be news to Barry humphries.
I think the point is that lots of us grew up watching him on telly as kids.^

“Barry Humpbries as Dame Edna was a middle aged Melbourne housewife in whose persona he satirised society. The satire would have been completely above the heads of the children of the age shown in DQST,. The costume was not sex fetish version of female. The programmes went out at 10 p.m I posted on this earlier having looked it up.”

However, a drag queen reading children a children's story is not entertainment above the heads of children.

Quite. It’s aimed precisely at them. To draw them in.

You missed the point that Dame Edna was never intended for children. It was political and social satire. It was aired on TV for adults at an adult hour. He was not dressed to look sexualised. If any small children staying up late had seen him, they would have switched off.

They aren’t all gay. Who told you they were?

You know that doesn't even follow if we assume your, very obviously, twisted reading was correct, right?

Dame Edna is dressed no differently to the drag queens of today and is often on daytime TV - that is at a time when children are watching.

Unless you're saying Loose Women - broadcast at 12.30 in the afternoon is an adult hour?

Hearach15 · Today 15:39

“MangyInseam · Today 15:29
Neither Dame Edna nor WIndow Twinky are drag acts in the sense of gay men who perform a certain kind of act, typically in nightclubs. They don't even have the same "look." They aren't drag queens as such. Barry Humphries is an actor and writer who has many character roles, many of whom are male, and he's not, as it happens, gay.”

“DQ story time is about drag queens, who are homosexual, that is the whole point. That's why it's "diversity".”

“Talking about Dame Edna is completely disingenuous.
"He's not, as it happens, gay."”

^Very true. If these drag queens weren't gay no one would have an issue. It's about homophobia and nothing else. Thank you for pointing this out.*

Rubbish.
“Oh Oh Look! Homophobia!! How dare you accuse this poor Drag Queen who is being so sweet and fun with little children! “
is not going to shut up concerned people in this context.

Your objection is that these drag queens are gay but drag queen Dame Edna is okay because she is played by a straight man?

Yes, hate to break it to you but that is homophobia.

Not sure how this poster saying "It's okay when a straight bloke does it but when a bunch of gays do it then it is clearly wrong 😡" could be described as anything other than homophobia.

Who isn't all gay?

The whole point of DQST is that it is supposed to relate to sexual diversity. A straight guy in a costume isn't "diversity" any more than a guy dressed as Big Bird is.

The whole thing has to be sexualized or it doesn't do what DQST is supposed to do. There is a reason that a library employee who happens to be gay or lesbian reading a story doesn't count as a diversity initiative - because it's invisible to the children. They don't generally know anything about the sexuality of an average library employee or any other guest who comes into the library.

The DQ is meant to be a visible symbol to the kids.

"It's okay for gay people to exist but please they mustn't tell the children they are gay." Very Section 28.

Loose women isn't a children's show. My kids never say it they were at school or watching kid's TV. He looks like Molly Sugden.

Not at all, my point was that Dame Edna is not a drag queen and so comparing her to a drag queen is completely irrelevant. That act would be unsuitable for children as well, as it happens, for a different set of reasons.

Loose Women is on the TV at the time when children might see it.

Dame Edna also introduced the Queen at a Jubilee event watched by millions of kids because there is nothing inherently sexual about drag.

It's all in your paranoid minds where everything even remotely associated with LGBT people and culture is a threat to children.

Why do you think that libraries don't have, say, lesbian story hour, where someone who is a lesbian comes in, tells the kids they are a lesbian, and reads a story?

"Dame Edna is not a drag queen"

So true and the Pope is a Protestant.

Sounds like a great idea. You should suggest it to the local library. I would be very much in favour.