Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D., N.Y.) promoted “drag queen story hour” for young children as an example of “well-rounded education” on Twitter on Monday.
Maloney, a progressive former teacher whose district includes the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, posted photos on Twitter of little kids sitting in on a reading session with drag queen Yuhua Hamasaki.
“Across the country, books are being banned, which are depriving our nation’s youth,” Maloney wrote. “But thanks to @NYPL and programs like Draq Queen story hour, NYC’s next generation are getting a well rounded education about LGBTQ+ issues and gender identity.”
Across the country, books are being banned, which are depriving our nation’s youth.
But thanks to @NYPL and programs like Draq Queen story hour, NYC’s next generation are getting a well rounded education about LGBTQ+ issues and gender identity. @YuhuaHamasaki pic.twitter.com/BRnbobDWdU
— Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) April 11, 2022
The New York Public Library has reportedly been holding drag queen story hour events both online, during the pandemic, and in-person for a number of years.
“Drag Queen Story Hour has been partnering with the New York Public Library for over two years. DQSH offer inclusive, gender-affirming programs with storytime favorites and new LGBTQ reads for our youngest patrons, with lots of songs and glitter along the way,” reads an ad for the event posted on the library website in 2019.
“If your child is interested in talking about why the drag queen is dressed up, you can have that conversation in very simple language. ‘Why do you think this person dresses this way? I think it’s because they love looking beautiful. Isn’t it great how human beings come in all shapes, sizes, and colors?’ ‘How we dress on the outside sometimes matches how we feel on the inside. How do you feel when you wear your favorite outfit?’,” the site reads.
Drag Queen Story Hour is an official program and 501c3 non-profit that “provides a range of fun and fabulous educational experiences for children and teens from 3 to 18 years old in libraries, schools, museums, and community spaces in all five boroughs of New York City,” according to the website.
“Through storytelling and creativity, DQSH NYC teaches children about gender diversity and all forms of difference to build empathy and give kids the confidence to express themselves however they feel comfortable,” it adds.
Parents in school districts across the country have pushed to ban raunchy books in K-12 classrooms, including Gender Queer: A Memoir, which features pornographic illustrations and text, and Lawn Boy, which features highly graphic descriptions of sex among and between fourth-grade boys.
In Independent School District in North Texas, the school board voted to remove three books from the curricula, including This Book Is Gay, a coming-out guide for LGBTQ teens with detailed descriptions of sex, Out of Darkness, a young-adult novel that includes a rape scene, and We Are the Ants, a coming-of-age novel about a gay teenager that includes explicit sexual language.
A recent Trafalgar Group found that over 68 percent of general-election voters say they are less likely to do business with Disney after video footage leaked revealing its plans to include gender-inclusive and sexual ideology in new content for children.