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!

Drag is arguably an art form, so too, arguably is burlesque and poledancing. People can dress however they wish, but should be mindful of what is appropriate for the situation. It's odd, but do you think the guy playing Aida would have got the gig as himself?

Are you arguing that straight people can't be flamboyant or dress up? Or that you can't be gay without conforming to regressive stereotypes? That's what we want to teach children?

Who said there was?
The people on the thread who think drag is offensive because they think they are taking the piss out of them.
They clearly think there's something wrong with dressing up in drag.

drag panders to outdated stereotypes, no?

what are drag queens dressing up as?

women

how do they dress as women?

by donning high heels, tight, sexualised clothing and make up

they perpetuate the idea that woman = sexualised clothes and make up

seriously, how can this possibly ever be a good message for kids?

What a bizarre take.

Along with this....

It sounds awfully like you're trying to imply something there against all drag queens who read stories.

I also don't ever recall Dame Edna Everage attending any library to read books to kids. I don't recall Barry Humphries doing it either. As datun pointed out, Barry Humphries in any of his characters did not create a child safeguarding issue.

What I am pointing out is that to use that character as some kind of 'gotcha' is not working. At all.

I hate drag

but some adults like it and I don’t see why anyone should stop them enjoying it

I just simply cannot see what the value is to children (and no one here has explained)

Well, yes. Some of us find men dressing as a hyper-sexualised grotesque parody of a woman offensive. I don't think anyone has said they shouldn't have the right to do this if they want to, but we also have the right to find this offensive.

What do you find so hard to understand? It's quite simple. People can dress how they want. Some people might be offended by the way other people are dressed.

A man dressed as a hyper-sexualised grotesque parody of a woman is an unsuitable person to be reading stories to small children. What benefit do you think there is in such a person reading stories to small children (for the children, of course)?

Bizarre take Along with this....

It sounds awfully like you're trying to imply something there against all drag queens who read stories.

That bit was referring to the part where it says "the motivation was different."
What's that supposed to mean?

they perpetuate the idea that woman = sexualised clothes and make up
See, I just can't agree with your way of thinking.
Woman does equal sexualised clothes and make up and also woman also does not equal sexualised clothes and make up, it equals me now in trousers and steel toe caps with no make up on as I never wear it
point is there's nothing wrong with women wearing tight dresses, lots of make up and big hair so I don't see drag as offensive - it's clearly not about me, I don't get why people take it so personally .
Each to their own.

A man dressed as a hyper-sexualised grotesque parody of a woman is an unsuitable person to be reading stories to small children.

Exactly. And you'll never get an answer why this is beneficial for children.

A man dressed as a hyper-sexualised grotesque parody of a woman is an unsuitable person to be reading stories to small children. What benefit do you think there is in such a person reading stories to small children
Not everyone sees them as a grotesque parody though
Just dressing as a woman.

I see women dressed like drag queens all over the place - Not. And I'm someone living in a large city.

The story is what matters - not the reader. And a man dressed as a sexualised parody of women in not an appropriate role model to read to children. Get back to Drag Race and leave reading to children to responsible adults who have children's interests and welfare at heart.

"Woman does equal sexualised clothes and make up and also woman also does not equal sexualised clothes and make up"

@GoodJanetBadJanet can you really not see and understand the absolutely massive logic fail in that sentence?

I see women dressed like drag queens all over the place Grin - Not. And I'm someone living in a large city.
As in tons of make up, big hair and dresses

can you really not see and understand the absolutely massive logic fail in that sentence?
I meant it as in we can wear what we like.
So I have no problem with anyone in drag dressed up as a woman.

The incident happened on big fat quiz of the year.

metro.co.uk/2019/12/28/vivienne-hits-back-criticised-using-word-fishy-big-fat-quiz-year-2019-11970023/

People who can't see the difference between an adult sexual entertainment which is leading to prepubescent boys like Desmond is Amazing twerking around naked adult men and Lactatia advising on how to get new parents, not to mention three-year-olds crawling over men in sexualised costumes - and Barry Humphries/widow Twankey are not, in my opinion, credible when it comes to opinions on child safeguarding.

RuPaul also uses “fishy” to mean “looks like a woman” in this interview.

madamenoire.com/621704/why-rupauls-fishiness-comments-are-problematic/

‘I have no problem with anyone in drag dressed up as a woman ‘

the way they are dressing as a woman is by adopting hypersexualised garb. I think you have accepted that?

now explain why that’s a good or useful message to give to children

Does anyone know if the DQSH went ahead in Bristol today or did the protestors stop it?

Only women are not allowed to object to gruesome parodies of us. Numerous groups are treated as fragile and in danger of feeling "unsafe" just from words alone, and our current "progressive" culture is very concerned with offending anyone. But women can be offended and are told to get over it.

did the protestors stop it?

I've been following it on Bristol Live, it was across two locations and there was 30-40 black pampers at each, possibly the same ones who were the Standing For Women event - but of course it's hard to tell

A friend of mine was tagged on Facebook attending it (the event, not the protest) with two other mothers, so I don't think so.

Lots of GC women protesting

I think the answer to this is that a Drag Queen isn't really supposed to be a woman at all. He's a man wearing some of the stereotypically sexualized elements that are associated with women. Because what he is doing is looking at what sexual identity/presentation looks like when you flip male sexual desire towards other men.

So you have a costume that in a way riffs of certain ideas of femininity - because that is being seen as the usual object of male sexual desire - but also in its own way is very masculine.

It's different than someone like an actor playing a role and largely because it's fundamentally related to how people experience sexual desire and the role culture plays in that.

Which is also why it is totally unsuitable for kids. And frankly until a few people decided to make a bundle of money off of it, was largely uninteresting to most people aside from gay men.

There's footage of the protest at Henleaze Library event this morning which had to be cancelled for safety reasons