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I was 19 and a sophomore at New York University. Then they rip their shirts off and dance like no one’s watching. You know, those EDM-soundtracked visions of gay men experiencing a sudden sense of belonging and liberation. Images from the site show people in dazzling dresses, shimmering wigs and heavy eye shadow reading to young children in the classroom and even helping the children do their own makeup.The first time I went to a gay club was nothing like how it is in the popular imagination. “Through fun and fabulous educational experiences, our programs celebrate gender diversity and all forms of difference to build empathy and give children the confidence to express themselves in ways that make them feel comfortable,” the website reads. The organization characterizes itself as promoting inclusivity, creativity, and self-acceptance in children by exposing them to drag queens who read similarly themed books. In 2022 alone, Drag Story Hour NYC completed 49 performances at 34 New York City public schools, according to its website. Other organizations featuring drag readers have also formed.Īs part of the Drag Queen Story Hour program, drag queens read to children and their parents in libraries, bookstores, county fairs, parks and other public places to celebrate reading “through the glamorous art of drag.” Since then, chapters have opened in the US and elsewhere. (AP Photo/Seth Little)ĭrag Queen Story Hour, a non-profit organization, was started in San Francisco in 2015 by activist and author Michelle Tea. Proponents say the events are harmless and innocent, but conservatives claim the storytelling lessons often descend into age-inappropriate vulgarity.Ī drag queen named Flame reads stories to children and their caregivers during a drag story hour at a public library in New York on Friday, June 17, 2022. The books read to children are children’s story books, usually by drag queens in less revealing outfits. You’ll see performers reading storybooks to children at events in schools or libraries. Some parents say the programs were booked without their consent, while city officials reacted with outrage, according to the Post.ĭrag queen stories have also made headlines.
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Just last month, records showed the city paid $46,000 to broadcast Drag Story Hour NYC to public schools, libraries and street fairs, according to the New York Post.
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New York City has spent heavily enrolling drag queens in its public elementary schools, losing more than $200,000 on appearances since 2018. The news comes amid debates raging across the country over whether to expose young children to inappropriate content from well-meaning family members and educators in the name of supporting LGBT equality. Yara Sofia is the stage name of Gabriel Burgos Ortiz, 38, a Puerto Rican and singer Many of them are explicitly advertised only to viewers over the age of 18.īut the flyer for the drag event Yara Sofia attended wasn’t, suggesting it was actually marketed as a family-friendly event. The Hamburger Mary’s Grand Rapids branch closed in January this year, but its Facebook page is still active, complete with dozens of flyers for events. It was originally posted by a TikTok user, DavidLovesDragOk, and has since been reshared by the anti-woke Twitter account Libs of TikTok amid growing concerns about children being taken to sexualized shows in the name of diversity. The video was shot in September 2021 at a branch of the LGBT bar and restaurant chain in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sofia strutted around the bar sporting two large fake breasts hanging outside of her costume, complete with tiny yellow pasties covering the nipples in what looked like an arch attempt at modesty. She was then sitting on the knee of a grown woman who smiled warmly as the boy tipped the actor, whose real name was Gabriel Burgos Ortiz. In the clip, the child, whose age was not disclosed, passed a bill to RuPaul’s Drag Race star Yara Sofia at Hamburg’s Mary’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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A teenage girl was filmed tipping a drag queen while flashing a huge set of synthetic breasts during a “family-friendly” event at a Michigan gay venue.