Penna Dexter

Have you heard about the drag queen story hours taking place at various public libraries across the country? These events started popping up a couple of years ago. They feature flamboyant drag queens reading stories to children mostly in libraries, sometimes in schools or bookstores. One Detroit drag queen who read to kids at Huntington Woods Library marvels that the little girls thought she was "a princess." The Washington Post reports that Drag Queen Story Hour "aims to teach children gender diversity and acceptance." It was created in 2015 by a San Francisco writer, a new mother who "wanted to provide young children with both a charismatic performance and cultural lesson." The events are popular at certain libraries. One parent says she's pleased that Drag Queen Story Hours expose kids to "all kinds of different beautiful people in the world." The Post quotes another satisfied parent who says, "This is very different ideology from what the president is putting out there." The Drag Queen Story Hour — and, yes, there is an actual organization, DQSH — has the full support of the American Library Association which says the events create "a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive society." The events have also drawn significant controversy with parents complaining and protesters showing up outside libraries. Houston residents have filed a lawsuit to stop these taxpayer-funded drag events at Montrose library. One popular Drag Queen reader there, Tatiana Mala Nina (translated Tatiana "Bad Girl") is Alberto Garza. He was convicted in 2008 of assaulting an 8-year-old boy. Library officials admit, "we discovered we failed to complete a background check as required by our own guidelines." Cultural commentator Rod Dreher blogged last year about "drag being politicized and valorized as a force for political progress," adding that drag queens and their supporters are "grooming these kids to accept genderfluidity as normal." Forget Tatiana "Bad Girl." Parents and officials who support this story hour agenda are abusing children.