This was an eye-witness account to the ’inaugural event’ that occurred inside our city center/downtown library on that day which was described by some, and rightly so, as ‘Beautiful and Fun’:
“There were a lot of employees there. It was almost like going through a gauntlet to get to the line. The ‘storyteller’ was walking down the line talking to people. He was literally talking to the person in front of us when the line mercifully, started to move. There were several clearly gender non-conforming kid’s and a number of adult’s too. I noted that they played “l’m Coming Out” right before the program started. There were a couple of employees who lead the group in songs between three books the storyteller read. He read ’Teddy’s Favorite Toy’, about a boy whose favorite toy is a doll. “Every Day Dress Up”, about a girl whose mother suggests that instead of dressing like a princess, she could dress up as famous women in history, like Amelia Curie, Ella Fitsgerald, etc.
The last one “Worm Loves Worm” was the one with the heavy hand. Two worms want to get married, but who will wear the tux and who will wear the dress? One ends up wearing the dress and a top hat, the other wears the tux and veil. Then it was the time for the dance party and crafts such as crowns and rainbow colored ribbons. It was noted that they didn’t do the create your own drag queen name or choose your pronouns exercises done at other drag queen events. The-part that bothered me the most though, was the end. They put on music for the dance party and started the crafts. As we walked out I looked around and could better see the people, all the smiling, the laughing and dancing, and it felt like a victory party where they had won and the children were the spoils. And it was really disturbing”.
You see, to some, what was accurately described above (except for a little personal embellishment at the beginning, third song, and ending of the event) is ‘Beautiful and Fun’.
And they are right, because to them, it is beautiful and fun. They are not wrong. They are right in stating that, to them, it is ’beautiful and fun’, because they are being honest, and if you are being honest, you have the right to say what you believe is honest. I don’t believe someone saying that, if I disagree, is wrong. That is their opinion for whatever reasons or life experiences they have had, and they are ENTITLED to it. Everyone should give each other that right. You should have that right as well, we all should have that right as well, ’you, us, we, them, everybody, everybody’ to quote Dan Akroyd.
So, what is my response? Per Dan, everybody is allowed.
Am I allowed to have a response? Is it OK to be honest of how I feel about it for whatever reasons or life experiences I have had. I admitted it is OK for others to be honest and I’ll accept that. I don’t have to agree with what they say, to say that they have aright to state how they feel about it. I’ll accept that they have the right to feel that way. Period! But do I have that right? The real matter at hand is the children, the three, four, five, six, seven, eight, year olds.
I’m not determining if a person being a Drag Queen is right or wrong. That is their personal decision, and no matter how another person feels about it, ’I’ don’t believe it is going to change their decision in the slightest, nor would ’I’ try too anyway. The real matter here is the target audience, the 3 — 8 year olds (the spoils if I may). Do I have a right to say that what was accurately described above (at least without the personal embellishment) is wrong?
I believe I do. Because it’s about the kids, the children, the 3 year olds, the 4 year olds, the 5 year olds, the 6 year olds, the 7 year olds, the 8 year olds, (the spoils if I may).
Sincerely,
One Person’s Response
I understand they have the right to live their life the way they want to, but they should LEAVE the kids ALONE! Why confuse a child when they are still figuring out stranger danger, social norms on sharing their toys?!
This should not be in a library paid for by my tax dollars.
Your right Sue, 3 year olds should not be questioning their gender when they are still being potty trained. The library will argue that the ‘Friends of the Library’ are the one’s paying for the drag queen, however, as many as a dozen tax payer paid workers worked the event and advertising, paper costs, building expenses, etc. are all paid for by the library tax levy that makes up 90% of the libraries budget.