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!

Hi there does anyone know who protested DQSH at Reading Library? Videos on Twitter saying it was organised by "Sovereign Citizens" so just wondering if it was ordinary parents who were concerned. The guy from DQSH Aida H Dee is saying on their facebook page it was "extreme far right groups"!

Bore off, anti, with your contempt for women and your straw men.

It was Alpha Team Assemble, they've previously protested covid vaccination centres and 5G mast installations amongst other things.

Just bumping this excellent comment to remind us all how anti child safeguarding /welfare it is to insist that self interested adult performers must be given access to little children or it's phobic / unkind/ etc

When you read to children, the story, the language and the ideas are meant to be the focus - not any tacky misogynistic performances by the reader. Adult entertainers should remain just that - for adults and be nowhere near children - no matter how much it upsets them and their bandwaggoners.

Does anyone know who protested at Reading library? Was it a group of parents?

@antifascist

I’d take my kids to a pantomime, no problem. Isn’t that particular Drag Queen Aida H Dee?

Let me tell you what I wouldn’t do. I wouldn’t let my children be read to by a person who thinks it’s appropriate to form their stage name based on a parody about a neurological condition affecting some of the children they’re talking to. That’s gross. I wouldn’t let them go to a public library and associate that visit with males in skimpy costumes emphasising their groin area. That’s not appropriate.

Widow Twanky, meh, I’m not bothered.

Would you let a stripper do a story time to little children? Bet the children would love their sparkly costumes and find pole dancing funny

Actually, I'm going to try that one myself. Maybe it's just male adult entertainers who can do the f they want.

Have had a look at Aida H Dee’s Twitter and it’s also a bit disingenuous to say ‘what about panto?’

A man dressing up in drag as a woman for panto isn’t a transwoman. Aida claims to be trans, and communicates like a trans rights activist. Let’s at least tell the truth about that.

Also goes by Sab Samuel (also doesn’t sound like a real name) and presents in a masculine manner and uses ‘he/him’ pronouns, so I don’t know in what sense we’re meant to consider this person as transgender.

Correction - doesn’t claim to be trans, but when dressed as ‘Aida’ claims to be a woman.

Two great posts @LizzyStrata at 0824 & 0841.

More to add to the Questions Never Answered pile:

What diversity and acceptance is DQSH promoting?

@VestofAbsurdity 😊

The whole idea is bizarre.

If you take drag seriously on it's own terms, it makes zero sense to show it to kids, because they won't understand it, and it's clearly not appropriate for that age group.

It makes me think that there are large numbers of people who think they are into drag who actually don't take it seriously on it's own terms. They've never really thought - why would it be a thing for gay males to put on these very abstract and odd versions of femininity and perform?

The only reason they are including it as "diversity" is that it is associated with gay men, but then they are stripping away any content that actually has. In that sense it's kind of like having the characters from ^Succession" come to read for the kids - characters they won't know because they don't watch it, not only because it's an adult show with inappropriate content, but because they wouldn't understand what it was about.

It was a far right conspiracy group who used to do anti vaccine protests, and have now moved on to doing anti LGBT protests. Here is an article about them from last year: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sovereign-citizens-uk-antivaxxers-b1947186.html

What an interesting first post Gloriayourealwaysontherunnow

Funny how comments that appear to be screenshot bait are so often followed by other comments that appear to be self-produced screenshot content, when the real women inconveniently don't say the things that they want us to say.

Almost like they have no idea what we think or believe at all, despite lurking here 24/7.

Lily Savage, Dame Edna Everage, Danny La Rue

3 drag artists who appeared on mainstream TV before the watershed.

Mmm the 70s

what a top time for well chosen TV content that was

taking the piss out of women: turns out it’s been in fashion for ages

antifascist · Today 11:57
See that fascists attacked Reading Library - with a big banner saying
"welcome groomers"

I'm sure some will be saying they aren't really fascists. And others will as many posters are on here claiming all (gay) men are paedophiles.

And others will as many posters are on here claiming all (gay) men are paedophiles

Rubbish.
Please would you quote each of the many posters you say are on here claiming all (gay) men are paedophiles.

antifascist · Today 15:20
Lily Savage, Dame Edna Everage, Danny La Rue

3 drag artists who appeared on mainstream TV before the watershed

Lily Savage’s show
First broadcast
Sunday 16th November 1997 at 10pm on BBC One

Barry Humphries, Dame Edna Everage - non sexualised Melbourne middle-aged housewife satirising society, for adults:
Series 1, Episode 1 - Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage takes questions from a celebrity audience about her life and career.
Broadcast details
Date
Friday 26th December 1980
Time
10:15pm

Danny La Rue
Performed largely in theatres for adults, except in pantomimes as a ‘Dame’. Often impersonating famous women
Among his celebrity impersonations were Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Judy Garland, Margot Fonteyn, Marlene Dietrich and Margaret Thatcher

None of this was for children, except Danny La Rue in his parts as a pantomime Dame.

Lol.