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.
អង្គការមិនស្វែងរកប្រាក់ចំណេញ 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]
Drag Story Hour faced a បណ្តឹង 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 ច្រានចោល).
Larry Householder, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, sent a letter to the Ohio Library Council បញ្ជាក់ 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 រក្សាទុក 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 បោះបង់ events in North Carolina, California and on a មូលដ្ឋានទ័ពអាកាសអាមេរិក នៅប្រទេសអាល្លឺម៉ង់។
Proud Boys members—including one wearing a shirt that read “Kill your local pedophile”—រំខាន 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 បាននិយាយថា: 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.
សភាសាធារណរដ្ឋ ណែនាំ 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 បាតុកររាប់រយនាក់។, some of who were armed with guns and threw smoke grenades.
Tucker Carlson បានអះអាង on Fox News that drag story hours are held to “indoctrinate and sexualize children.”
Texas legislators introduced two វិក័យប័ត្រ that would classify venues that host drag events as “sexually oriented businesses,” making it a បទមជ្ឈិម to admit minors.
ក្រុមអ្នកតវ៉ា បំផ្លិចបំផ្លាញ 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.
បាតុកររាប់រយនាក់។ ប្រមូលផ្តុំ។ at a Drag Story Hour event in New York City, though they were far outnumbered by counterprotesters supporting the event.
ស៊េរីនៃ វិក័យប័ត្រ 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.
វិក័យប័ត្រ ណែនាំ 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 បានអនុម័ត 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 ណែនាំ 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 អង្គការ have offered their own drag story time events. Nina West—who appeared on ការប្រណាំងរុញរបស់ RuPaul and has since hosted story hours at libraries—told សម្រេចចិត្ត 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 ការតវ៉ា 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 ការវិភាគ បានរកឃើញ។
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/