In big coastal cities of the US, it’s very common to have drag queens conduct children’s story hour at public libraries. Kids love it because the readers tend to be super animated and friendly, and it’s been practiced for years without much controversy, but now [this](https://www.pride.com/sites/default/files/2017/10/18/xochi-mochi-x750.jpg) image from California has gone viral in right-wing spaces, and angry protesters are starting to show up at some of these events. It’s becoming one of those exhausting political wedge issues. I’m curious to know whether this is a trend in your county and if there’s been any controversy around it.
21 comments
If it exists here, it’s so much a non-issue that it never makes the news or discourse. But I don’t think it does.
I’ve never heard of the concept until this post. if it exists here, it’s not popular but it’s probably not controversial either since I would have heard of it that way.
I have never heard of anything like this here…we barely have any public libraries where I live,never mind story hours with drag queens 😉
There are drag queens in Palermo,but they tend to do things like cabaret shows if they are working in public.
I have never heard of such a thing, so either it doesn’t exist or it isn’t controversial. I’ve never seen this in the local paper which publishes a regular library event schedule, so I think it just does not happen here.
It is not popular in this country, but does exist. There is a small ‘Drag Queen Story Hour Summer Tour’ across the whole UK.
I am not a fan. I think that drag itself is inherently contentious (I think it’s sexist, frankly) and our overstretched public libraries should focus on established, effective ways to encourage wide usage — which don’t alienate the bulk of the population, especially in poorer neighbourhoods.
Do we have a culture war over this issue? No, thankfully. I don’t want this import: it doesn’t meaningfully advance any equality, and merely preaches to the choir and puts people off using public services.
I’ve never heard of something like that happen in Poland, but… to a lot of people drag queens = transvestites. Which is utterly idiotic, because drag queens are performers and artists, dressing as a woman when you’re a guy does not make you a drag queen. There’s way more to it than just this. And it’s fun, if I had any last bits of depression, getting interested in drag culture and watching queens do comedy made them disappear. It’s comedy, it’s fun, and if you have a problem with that, you’re just pathetic. And if you don’t like it, then so be it, but don’t spread hate towards it and keep your nasty opinions to yourself.
Unfortunately Poland is a country full of bigots, so if there are drag queens, they are only in gay bars and places like that, but definitely not in public, because it would make a scandal. It’s a shame to be Polish, because if you say that you come from Poland people might think you’re like all those conservative idiots even if you’re the opposite of that.
And about the US politics: I’ve read how they try to blame what has been happening lately on LGBT “agenda” and drag culture. Those mofos will blame ANYTHING but the stupid gun laws.
Never heard of anything like this. Germany’s most famous drag queen Olivia Jones, next to media activity, owns a couple of table dance bars, so the whole scene is more linked to adult entertainment (not prostitution!), just something that’s not linked to the world of children.
Tho I can see the concept work, what kid doesn’t love fabulous colourful outfits that seem to have sprung straight from fairy tales? Next to the message of living out however you feel with no boundaries.
[removed]
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such an event taking place in Belgium, but I don’t have any children so I’m not aware of all the different types of children’s entertainment.
The drag queen you linked to in your post sort of looks like a scary clown but in a sexy way.
I live in one of the most liberal towns in the country and I have never heard of anything like this and given my circles I’m pretty sure I would have if there was.
Probably would be some controversy around it if it was a thing though.
No, it isn’t a thing. Drag Queen’s shows are also different here than in the US. They are more like something Jinkx or The Vivienne will do or even Ginger Minj. It is more comical than anything else. Or at least this is what I’ve seen.
Never heard of it in Austria. Admittedly, I am neither in the target age group nor do I have family of that age. I can’t imagine them being popular, or even existant; if they did exist they’d be controversial and I would’ve heard of them.
The most well-known drag queen in Austria is Conchita Wurst, who won the Eurovision song contest ~10 years ago. Not an overly controversial figure, but also not known for anything apart from winning the song contest.
I had to google it. Apparently, it is common in tax-funded libraries and preschools, and seen as controversial by Christians and national socialists.
The Christian paper had an article about Lady Busty and Miss Shameless performing with “half-naked fake breasts” at drag shows, Miss Shameless stating that her last name was too naughty to reveal, and the paper called the library to make sure that the event wouldn’t be sexual when Lady Busty and Miss Shameless were coming to read norm-critical stories to the children.
The nationalist socialist newspaper had articles about Lady Busty and Miss Shameless reading about Cinderella falling in love with a girl, and a dad who wears high heels. They also had an article about Brett Blomme of Cream City Foundation, the fiscal sponsor of the Milwaukee chapter of Drag Queen Story Hour, being arrested and charged with seven counts of child pornography.
So, apparently both popular and controversial.
I don’t think this specific thing will be a big issue because it’s like this
1) Either society is queer phobic and they won’t be welcome in any space leave alone schools
2) Society is relatively open to LGBTQ issues and is used to drag queens a lot and their kids meeting a nice drag Queen who offered to babysit will be a non issue to them !
In short .. Most European queer friendly place don’t think that kids meeting LGBTQ people will automatically make them gay or something because that’s simply not how it works .
It’s pretty popular here. There are a few story time with drag queens in libraries. I didn’t know that it was a world wide thing until your post.
Of course there are some people who are against it but the kinds of people who are against it tend to be the homophobic/racist/sexist/anti-immigrant etc kind of folks
The UK has a long tradition of men in drag entertaining kids, especially at Christmas. We call it Panto and it’s almost exclusively performed by queer people or in an overly camp manner. I still wouldn’t put it past our rank right-wing tabloid media to make it their next hate campaign though.
This is not a thing, and it if were, 10% of parents would be ok with it, 30% of parents wouldn’t care and 60% would absolutely flip out about their child being anywhere near a drag queen.
We’re really not even close to drag queens being accepted into society, for them to get to educate kids(in their minds, indoctrinate into LGBT) would be taboo.
I’ve never heard of it and I’m glad we don’t have it in this country.
I’m not sure why drag queens need to read books to children and I’m not at all convinced it’s appropriate for them. The UK does have things like pantomime which have a character in drag for comedic effect and are aimed at children so I think it’s drag *queens* in particular which I take issue with.
I agree with other posters who say they’re sexist and I also think that children need to be more mature to appreciate the brand of humour. Lots of drag queens have quite sexual(?) acts and I really don’t think that’s appropriate for children either.
This is a political wedge issue in your country because it would have been used to parody liberals in America ten years ago (in the same way a Trump-like personality would have been used to parody conservatives) and now you’ve actually gone and done it.
Story hours are already not super common and generally quite irregular.
They are often not very strongly advertised.
So a drag queen story hour, would be a non issue even simply because it flies under the radar.
I guess even the professionally outraged minority like far right and hardcore Christians, would not really take notice.
I have never heard of something like that in Spain, and the first google results I get relate to events in Houston, NYC, NJ…
Drag queens actors and entertainers are relatively common and popular in Spain, but if they do events like that they have not made the news.
I’ve personally never heard about it until now, and a quick Google search shows that there were some protests back in 2022, when 2 drag queens wanted to read some books for some children during Copenhagen Winter Pride. The demonstrators accused them of being pedophiles and Satanists. Some other searches show, that there were some demonstrations back in 2012, when a drag queen and a drag king was hired to read aloud for some children in a library.