via Queens Library
May 8, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
Several Queens Library locations are set to host Drag Queen Story Hour events all through the month of May.
The events, which involve drag queens reading stories to children ages 3 to 8, aim to raise awareness of gender diversity and self-acceptance, all while enjoying a fun literary experience, according to the Queens Library.
The month-long series will kick off at the Woodside Library, located at 54-22 Skillman Ave., at 4 p.m on May 9.
Other locations include the Jackson Heights Library at 35-51 81st St., where a bilingual Spanish and English Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) will take place on May 10 at 3:30 p.m. A follow up event will take place on June 3.
The Elmhurst Library at 86-07 Broadway will also see a DQSH event on May 22 at 4 p.m., and a follow up on June 19.
DQSH will also travel to Astoria for a May 16 event at the Steinway Library, located at 21-45 31st St. The story time begins at 3 p.m.
Councilmember Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), who is funding DQSH at the Jackson Heights and Elmhurst libraries, says the event is a fun way to encourage children to read.
“It is also a great way to teach them to embrace our society’s differences and diversity,” Dromm said in a statement.
For a full list of DQSH events, see the Queens Library’s list.
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51 Comments
The Pole Dancing Reading Club starts July/August in LIC, Jackson Heights and Sunnyside.
Let’s have “ catholic priests read to kids” day. That’ll be safer . Lol
disgraceful
Certainly safer than having a sicko such as yourself read to them.
Do they read in Dragbonics phonetically? You go Girl or Guy or Girl or Girl or Guy, hey this is confusing for a child. So imagine – well the children will think this is just funny.
Spontaneity, creativity, courage to do things differently, willingness to stand up and be seen for who you are, and fashion sense. What great qualities to model for our kids! Thank you!
This is insane! Drag Queens reading stories to 3 year olds is NOT AGE APPROPRIATE! They want to raise awareness of gender diversity to a 3 year old??? What’s even crazier is that our tax dollars are paying for it.
I’m not understanding what the issue is. You seem to be implying there is something wrong with gender diversity.
This is like saying “we want to teach 3 year olds about different cultures”.
Stating that it is NOT age appropriate for drag queens to teach gender diversity to THREE YEAR OLDS in a library has nothing to do with my opinion on gender diversity. You are obviously trying to turn this into an issue of transgender equality. I am pro gay & transgender rights. However, there is an appropriate time/place for everything & 3 year olds in a library is definitely not it. People like you are the reason our nation is so divided. If someone doesn’t agree with you they are automatically considered homophobic.
This is your second comment!!! You are obviously NOT PRO GAY & TRANSGENDER RIGHTS (caps). You are the problem with America, you f-ing puritan piece of crap.
Is that the same language they plan to use with the 3 year olds while teaching gender diversity??? You’re obviously incapable of having an intelligent conversation. PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE THE PROBLEM WITH AMERICA.
No Larry. Shortsighted idiots like yourself are what is wrong with this country. The beautiful thing is that over time, your opinion, your reluctance to see different perspectives, your hard-headedness, won’t matter at all. People will marry whomever they want, religions will die out, and your crusty old ass will be crawling with worms. Being you must be zero fun. I hope you have a good rest of your life and find some happiness, but I doubt that will happen.
But why? Are women wearing dresses allowed to read to children? Are gay adults allowed to read to children.
What exactly makes this different?
Here’s the thing, kids are exposed to what’s ultimately drag in all sorts of scenarios, the appropriateness of which no one would ever question all over television geared towards children and youth. For ex., I recall recently watching a Disney show with my daughter where the main male young character entered a beauty pageant dressed as a girl and won. All these are forms of drag, so how would a real-life drag queen be any different? The purpose is also the same: Entertainment! There’s nothing crazy about having to explain to kids that it is a guy in girl’s clothing or vice-versa.
I believe the more diversity you introduce your children to at an earlier age all the better for their own ability to learn how to navigate our diverse planet. Fortunately I’ve been able to introduce my children to many types of people, such as people of other races and religions, elderly, young children, transvestites, people with special needs, and so much more, because it’s important for children to understand there is so much more to people beyond the superficial labels we attach to them.
I can’t see why someone would have a problem with anyone in drag. How hard is it to explain to a curious kid that a drag queen is a performer wearing a costume? We do the same to explain wandering Disney princesses at theme parks, right? This isn’t rocket science, nor is it the depths of moral depravity to have a costumed performer, Disney princess or drag queen, read books to kids. Good grief.
“The events, which involve drag queens reading stories to children ages 3 to 8, aim to raise awareness of gender diversity and self-acceptance, all while enjoying a fun literary experience, according to the Queens Library.” Why? Why do children this young need to be made aware of this? Are 3 year olds already struggling with their gender identity? Leave the kids alone and send the drag queens to therapy instead…
Agreed!!
Can’t fix stupid is an appropriate name for you. Proving yes, you can’t fix stupid, Stupid.
Kids have some pretty concrete ideas about the way the world works (boys do this, girls do that, moms do this, dads do that). When they encounter things that break those concrete ideas, they react with humor, joy, and fascination. Boys who dress up as girls? That’s amazing and wonderful! Only later, as they learn our biases and hate, they react with fear, loathing, or distrust.
Leave our children alone. Let them decide for themselves when they’re able to. Stop trying to brainwash our children into your way of life.
So, who’s way of life is allowed? How is that decided?
Everyone should just wear the exact same outfits and hair styles until “the children” are ready.
Did I ever say the word allowed…? Everything is allowed, I just want this way of life to stay away from my children for now. If they decide on this way of life later on when they get older then so be it. For now just leave the responsibility of raising my children to me.
How about that? Is that clearer for you?
It is not clear. You said “leave our children alone”.
Why do you decide for my child? If you want your child left alone, don’t bring your child.
Do you also want the heterosexual lifestyle to stay away from your children?
Do you want Christians to stay away from your children?
No one is making you do anything!
Right on!
So they don’t grow up to be close minded , hateful adults .
Listen my dear Jim and Not Gabriel…the decision to expose our children to multiple cultures is a parental right. However, when our tax dollars are being used to impose this agenda in public libraries is when it becomes a concern. Libraries are a wonderful place to explore and opportunity to reach out, I would agree…however not to CRAM the idealogy of a few opinions down our throats. We should focus on letting them develop their own opinion before teaching deviserity at such a young age. Why not have a recovering pedophile come and read as well…they need love and exceptance too! Absolutly absurd and I do have question…how many showed up for these readings?
Maybe if you had more access to diversity (not “deviserity” – go to school much?) you would have a clearer, more open-minded view, rather than comparing drag queens to recovering pedophiles (whatever the hell that means). And I went. It was great. Happened over a month ago, but thanks for playing.
I have been looking for some interesting library events which are few and far between. Live and let live……however……now I’ve seen everything! This is a bit much. Not age appropriate. Parents, I would think twice about participating. And, you can’t call it Clown Story Hour as that is a big insult.
Children typically do not care whether you are a drag queen, clown, Cinderella etc. (all of which involves dressing up for entertainment) as long as you give off a good vibe and in this case are a good story teller at the library.
Bottom line, this is the face of insidiously nefarious indoctrination of our children. The underhanded desensitization to the difference between right and wrong, moral and evil, ethical and perverse. The LGBT crowd will have nothing less than our children. And of course, thanks to a DEMOCRAT, they are getting what they want. But you know what! It’s also and mainly the fault of apathetic parents and an apathetic society who allow our children to be exposed to such rancid nonsense.
Are we still having this argument? It is so tired.
Being gay is not evil. It is not immoral.
I also think you are forgetting there are gay children and gay parents.
No one is forcing you to bring your child you absolute moron.
Says the closeted homosexual. Just come out already. The waters great! I’ll be attending. See you there, Gabriel.
Drag?!?! For real????
Not cool at all…what kind of example are we setting for these kids?
What’s this world coming too??
Education, acceptance, creativity, compassion. You might want to try some of those.
More like indoctrination that what is perverse and sick and disordered ought to be celebrated.
If you don’t want to go or you don’t want your kids to go, don’t go. Oh wait, you probably don’t have kids. Because who would marry an asshat like Gabriel?
Yes I won’t expose this type of brainwashing to my children, but why should my tax dollars pay for this?
Nonsense. When these kids are old enough let them make their own decisions.
When is old enough?
Is there some list of things kids are only allowed to learn about until a certain age ?
Many kids have trans parents or relatives .
Definitely NOT 3 year olds. I am pro gay & transgender rights but this is ridiculous
What’s ridiculous is you saying you’re pro gay and transgender rights.
It’s being a world where people can live their life they way they want to.
The example being letting people be whatever gender they want .
That’s not how that works. Sorry.
Who decides how it works then ?
The parents
A drag queen is a person by definition who dresses in clothes of the opposite sex for the purposes of entertainment much like RuPaul and other drag artists of all sexualities. You could of called it Clown Story Hour and most children would not care as long as the person knows how to read a story well. IMO, the hour should of been centered around gay and/transgender awareness in the form of age appropriate stories read by LGBT youth/adults.
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A child 3 to 8 have enough problems to cope with