Right-wing protests of Drag Story Hour events for children ramped up in 2022—often based on false claims that these events sexualize children—and a number of conservative state lawmakers have sought to ban these programs in recent weeks and limit where drag artists can perform.
Nonprofit organization Drag Story Hour launched in San Francisco, created by author Michelle Tea to organize events for drag performers to read stories to children, among other literary and creative programming focusing on diversity and inclusivity.
Drag Story Hour’s New York City chapter incorporated as a nonprofit and began receiving funds from the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and two city council members to fund book purchases, drag performer compensation and training programs that teach drag artists to speak with children effectively about gender identity and drag.
Far-right commentator and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones became among the first prominent conservative media figures to blast Drag Story Hour, pushing a false claim the drag artists are using story times to “[have] their way” with children in an InfoWars segment that concluded with the dramatic flourish of Jones throwing his chair in anger.
Drag Story Hour faced a lawsuit filed by a group of Houston critics who argued that the Houston Public Library was partnering with “non-secular entities” by hosting drag queens (the lawsuit was later dismissed).
Larry Householder, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, sent a letter to the Ohio Library Council stating that libraries “should not be a resource for teenage boys to learn how to dress in drag.”
Nearly 100,000 people signed a petition to the American Library Association protesting drag story hours, but the ALA maintained it “strongly opposes any effort to limit access to information, ideas and programs that patrons wish to explore.”
A number of drag story hours and family-friendly drag events faced threats and protests during Pride Month, forcing organizers to cancel events in North Carolina, California and on a U.S. Air Force base in Germany.
Proud Boys members—including one wearing a shirt that read “Kill your local pedophile”—disrupted a drag story hour event, shouting “homophobic and transphobic slurs at the event’s organizers, in the presence of children.”
Mayor Eric Adams and other New York City politicians voiced support for drag story hours, which Adams said are “advancing a love of diversity, personal expression and literacy that is core to what our city embraces.”
An Anti-Defamation League report found that baseless accusations of LGBTQ people “grooming” children grew rampant in spring 2022, particularly on social media—accounts like “Libs of TikTok” (a now-suspended TikTok account that maintains a popular Twitter presence) targeted and doxxed drag performers and pushed the conspiracy that these events sexualize children.
House Republicans introduced the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” aiming to prevent federal funds from being used for events including drag shows and story hours.
A drag story time event in Oregon attracted hundreds of protesters, some of who were armed with guns and threw smoke grenades.
Tucker Carlson claimed on Fox News that drag story hours are held to “indoctrinate and sexualize children.”
Texas legislators introduced two bills that would classify venues that host drag events as “sexually oriented businesses,” making it a misdemeanor to admit minors.
Protesters vandalized the home and office of Erik Bottcher, a gay member of the New York City Council who has voiced support for Drag Story Hour, with homophobic graffiti.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at a Drag Story Hour event in New York City, though they were far outnumbered by counterprotesters supporting the event.
A series of bills introduced in the Arizona legislature would criminalize drag shows in public places where a minor could be present and withhold state funds from entities, like libraries, that host drag events.
A bill introduced in the Oklahoma legislature would fine drag performers up to $20,000 and jail them for up to two years for performing in front of minors, including speaking at Drag Story Hours.
The North Dakota State House passed a bill, pending Senate approval, that would ban drag performers from appearing in front of minors or on public property.
A Kansas Republican state senator introduced a bill that would classify drag events as exposing minors to “obscenity”—and the Tennessee legislature advanced a bill that would classify drag shows as “adult cabaret,” banning them from public property and the potential presence of minors.
Drag story hours have been hailed by supporters as a way to inspire children to love reading and to celebrate diversity and inclusivity. Since launching in San Francisco, Drag Story Hour has opened chapters across the country and world, and other organizations have offered their own drag story time events. Nina West—who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race and has since hosted story hours at libraries—told Decider not all drag is sexual in nature, despite conservative opponents protesting story hours on the false grounds that they expose minors to sexual content. “For them, it’s like if a princess came in, or a clown. We talked about just, like, how they like to wear different outfits or costumes on Halloween, drag is another way to express yourself,” West said.
141. That’s how many protests against drag events GLAAD—the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation—recorded in 2022. GLAAD noted the protests and rhetoric became increasingly violent as the year progressed, including incidents in 47 states, with Texas alone having 20 protests.
Fox News spent more airtime negatively covering transgender people and drag queens than the second January 6 committee hearing on June 13, a Media Matters for America analysis found.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/02/03/how-drag-queens-became-a-right-wing-target-from-alex-jones-to-tucker-carlsonwith-these-states-trying-to-ban-story-hours-and-shows/