Drag Queen Story Hour is teaching kids about gender fluidity, acceptance

Drag Queen Story Hour is teaching children throughout the nation about gender fluidity.

The 45-minute program is led by a drag queen who is trained by children’s librarians to read picture books, sing and guide children through craft activities, according to the New York Public Library website.

“Drag Queen Story Hour helps teach kids to accept themselves and let them know that it’s OK to be themselves and to be who they are and to accept others,” says Ms. B, a drag queen who participates in Drag Queen Story Hour at a New York library.

Drag Queen Story Hour is a national program that was created by Michelle Tea and the literary nonprofit RADAR Productions in San Francisco, California, according to Drag Queen Story Hour’s website. The program has expanded and now has chapters all over the nation.

Ms. B is shown in an In The Know Facebook video reading to a group of bright-eyed and curious children at Yorkville Library in New York, New York.

“As soon as we start singing songs and having fun together is when they really let loose,” Ms. B says.

Ms. B also teaches the children about what a drag queen is, showing them that it provides an opportunity to explore a certain side of yourself.

“You could be a drag queen super hero,” Ms. B says to one child.

Another child says she likes the book “Neither” because “it’s about being nice to other people.” The book “Neither,” written by Airlie Anderson, follows a nonbinary creature’s adventure to find a place of acceptance.

Ms. B says a lot of LGBTQ books are read during Drag Queen Story Hour, along with books that explore gender and drag queens. The New York Public Library website states Drag Queen Story Hour is also meant to help curb the bullying of LGBTQ children.

“The reason why I do Drag Queen Story Hour is to have fun with the kids, get to know them and also make an impact on them because I want them to go out there and embrace the world,” Ms. B says. “And I want them to change it because they are our next generation.”

Image courtesy of Drag Queen Story Hour’s Facebook page. 

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