Book-readings by drag queens, geared toward children
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Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH ), Drag Queen Storytime , Drag Story Time , and Drag Story Hour are children's events first started in 2015 by author and activist Michelle Tea in San Francisco with the goals of promoting reading and diversity.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] The events, usually geared for children aged 3–11, are hosted by drag queens who read children’s books , and engage in other learning activities in public libraries .[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
Jonathan Hamilt, who co-founded the New York chapter as a nonprofit, said that as of June 2019, DSH has 35 U.S. and five international chapters.[ 7] The program strives to "capture the imagination and play of gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models".[ 8]
Drag Story Hour events have caused public debate over the suitability of drag for child audiences. Critics say it contributes to the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children ; proponents argue that these complaints amount to a "moral panic " and anti-LGBT prejudice spurred on by "right-wing misinformation" .[ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 12] The backlash against such events has been responsible for the popularization of the term "drag panic ", modelled after the older term "gay panic ".
^ "Drag Queen Story Hour brings pride and glamor to libraries across U.S." NBC News . 19 June 2018. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019 .
^ Griffin, Julia (July 2, 2019). "Drag Queen Story Hour offers a different kind of page-turner" . PBS NewsHour . Archived from the original on 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2019-08-25 .
^ Kenny, Oison (January 27, 2020). "Drag Race alumni speak out against Drag Story Time criticism" . Gay Community News . Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020 .
^ McCormick, Erin (June 13, 2017). " 'Are you a boy or a girl'? Drag Queen Story Hour riles the right, but delights kids" . Theguardian.com . Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019 .
^ "Why You Really Need to Take Your Kid to Drag Queen Storytime" . Phillymag.com . July 24, 2019. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019 .
^ " 'I'm just trying to make the world a little brighter': how the culture wars hijacked Drag Queen Story Hour" . The Guardian . 2022-08-11. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2022-08-11 .
^ Stack, Liam (June 6, 2019). "Drag Queen Story Hour Continues Its Reign at Libraries, Despite Backlash" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2019 .
^ Quinlan, Casey (August 31, 2019). "How 'Straight Pride' parades like the one in Boston mask a far-right agenda – ThinkProgress" . ThinkProgress . Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2019-09-02 .
^ "Tennessee governor signs drag show restrictions into law" . PBS NewsHour . March 2, 2023. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023 .
^ Tannehill, Brynn (January 12, 2023). "The Moral Panic We Cannot Ignore" . Dame Magazine . Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023 .
^ "The Moral Panic We Cannot Ignore - Dame Magazine" . www.damemagazine.com . 2023-01-12. Archived from the original on 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2023-12-01 .
^ MacGuill, Dan (2017-10-18). "Did a Drag Queen in a 'Demonic' Outfit Read a Sexually Explicit Book to Children at a Public Library?" . Snopes . Archived from the original on 2023-12-02. Retrieved 2023-12-01 .