Get the impression this thread isn’t as active as it was, so not expecting a response, I just really need to offload. Am fairly local to an upcoming event, as evidenced from screenshots above, and locally any discussion on social media is being closed down, ridiculed, accused of bigotry and I can’t publicly speak out because of my employment. People just seem to assume it is transphobia or homophobia and right wing political views which are questioning the story time. All this drama over story time….. I am uncomfortable because of the name which, I am sorry, isn’t positive, it’s insulting although I understand the individual self identifies as having ADHD and autism and perhaps they do. I, personally, having met anyone with these diagnoses who are quite as flippant but that is probably because I just haven’t met someone like that. I have met a lot of unhappy and confused young people and children with those diagnoses.
Am unhappy with public funds paying an author to promote a book and one assumes, generate future sales. My experience is that authors promote for free, although assume once more successful they charge. Also, why is the whole focus on the individual not the book? Usually it is the other way around. The book is almost irrelevant.
Then there is the costume, nobody appears to see it as a slight red flag. Even if this was a regular tight vest and tight plain trousers, nobody seems to question the wisdom of it in front of small children. Would they think the outfit was okay for a job interview, perhaps with less sequins? If it’s about the message of the story, then we don’t need to see your p*nis.
And since when are drag queens a minority? It’s being presented as an event to broaden inclusion but who is it actually helping? Children with gay family members? Children questioning their sexuality? Children questioning their gender? The drag queen parents shunned at the school gates?
My head feels like it is going to explode as this has just mushroomed into something bigger than it ought to be. All it really took was someone, from each library service, at the start to tell them, we welcome your idea about inclusive stories, , we don’t normally pay but … and perhaps could you wear something less form-hugging as it is a family event, oh and we have checked your social media and are you really sure you understand this will be an audience of children? Nope, now we have anger, hatred, police forces being briefed and protesters ending up looking like they are scaring children.
Just needed to off-load.