We’re two thirds of the way through 2022 and while this year hasn’t quite matched the dumpster fire that was 2020, it’s certainly been one that I don’t think many people would like to revisit anytime soon.
While we’ve had some real moments to celebrate - such as the Lionesses’ victorious Euros win and the UK coming second (!) at Eurovision - we’ve also been plagued with a cost of living crisis, the global spread of monkeypox and a worsening climate.
You’d think with such pressing matters on our minds, a small thing like drag queens reading stories to children would just pass us by without a second's notice - but, alas, it is turning into one of the major dramas right now.
Drag Queen Story Hour, which has been running worldwide since 2015, is an initiative where drag queens will usually take over a library or a community centre for an hour and read stories to children. The initiative aims to break down stereotypes and bias from a young age and show that inclusivity can be a good thing.
Despite these positives, events up and down the country have been faced with protests from people claiming they are ‘sexualised’ and damaging to children. Last month, protesters ambushed an event in Bristol claiming it was brainwashing children, promoting ‘grooming’ and a general risk to everyone who attended.
One clip went viral on social media showing a woman raiding one reading session, screaming and shouting towards those in attendance about how unsafe the event was. Children in the room could be seen distressed and upset. It's safe to say the irony of the outburst was completely lost on the protestor.
Similar protests happened in Cornwall last week and at the weekend in Leeds, with people holding such signs as 'Learn ABCD not LGBT', 'stop sexualising our children' and 'let kids be kids', which again was completely ironic.
I’m not going to even attempt to get into the accusations of grooming. Similar to the attitude possessed by many who are against the transgender community, it’s not only offensive and demeaning, it's just outright inaccurate.
But the idea that a drag queen reading Room on the Broom to a library full of toddlers could somehow be sexual is quite frankly ridiculous. We’re talking about imaginary witches and dragons here, not poppers and late night saunas.
Drag Queens have forever been synonymous with the art of reading - anyone who has watched just one episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race will know that - and yes, a queen ‘throwing shade’ to another will often be crass and is definitely not suitable for kids, but this is a totally different type of reading we’re talking about here.
For families in attendance, it’s a chance to show youngsters that it is completely fine to tear up the rulebook on what society says you should act or say or do and be yourself without prejudice. It’s also about acceptance and tolerance, all things which are already taught in the classroom.
Read more M.E.N Opinion here:
- 'Players threaten to rape and kill me. It won't keep me from the sport I love'
- 'It took England's Lionesses to bring football home - I dare anyone to tell me the women's game isn't world class'
- It's never, ever "just a dog": The things I have learned from my 15-year-old spaniel dying
And for the performers, it’s never been about twerking to Baby Shark, doing a seductive dress reveal during a Teletubbies-themed performance, or slipping in a cheeky 50 Shades of Grey innuendo, it’s about the exact same thing: promoting a sense of acceptance and tolerance. I can imagine it's also an incredibly fun and rewarding experience too.
These performers already expect to have to tone down, or maybe even completely alter, their act if they are going to go into the library and read The Gruffalo. While the same drag queen reading to children on Monday morning might later perform at Cruz 101 in a bra and thong to a Rihanna song (as is their right), the two are not intertwined and it’s not fair to assume they are.
Drag queen Marti Gould Cummings, who has regularly hosted Story Time events in the US, previously said : “Anyone who thinks drag isn’t for children is wrong. Drag is expression, and children are such judgement-free beings; they don’t really care what you’re wearing, just what you’re performing.”
Drag queen Aida H Dee, who is hosting Story Time events across Greater Manchester later this month, said themselves: “The main thing we want to ensure is that this is a fun and safe event for all families that are attending."
Speaking to the MEN last month, they added: "the stories themselves are bound by inclusivity. The stories are encouraging people to not just accept differences of other people but like and adore differences.”
But even that interview, which quashed some of the protestor's criticisms, was met with negative comments. “Watch you don’t get groomed," one person wrote, while another said: "This lot should be nowhere near children and anyone taking their kids to see them should be arrested for child endangerment."
We’ve made a lot of progress in terms of equality and inclusion, but, sadly, recent attitudes like this have shown that there is still a long, long way to go.
But both those who attend and those who perform at Drag Queen Story Hour are showing that there are many who are not prepared to let things go back to the way they were.
It’s completely fine if you don’t like drag queens - they are not to everyone’s taste - but to accuse them of grooming children when all they’re doing is reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar while wearing a lovely dress is, to put it lightly, a bit much.
I know I’d much rather be in the same room as a drag queen promoting inclusivity to a group of like-minded individuals than standing outside protesting such activity. After all, there’s far bigger things to be worrying about.
Get the latest What's On news - from food and drink to music and nightlife - straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
