NY Library Brings Drag Queens to Kids Story Hour

(16 May 2017) VOICE-OVER SCRIPT:
GETTING READY FOR WORK.
A METICULOUS PROCESS THAT INVOLVES SHAVING...GLITTER...HAIRSPRAY...AND A WIG.
BUT INSTEAD OF PERFORMING AT A NIGHTCLUB, THE VENUE IS THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY IN PARK SLOPE.
AT 10 O CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lil' Miss Hot Mess, Drag Queen
"Who wants to be a drag queen when they grow up?"
LIL' MISS HOT MESS IS THE HOST OF 'DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR'
TALKING, SINGING AND READING TO AN AUDIENCE OF PRESCHOOLERS, TODDLERS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lil Miss Hot Mess, Drag Queen
"The hips on the drag queen go swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish."
THE LIBRARY STARTED SCHEDULING DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR LAST YEAR AND IS ALREADY LOOKING TO EXPAND TO OTHER LOCATIONS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Kat Savage, Brooklyn Public Library
"Drag Queen Story Hour is fantastic because it addresses all of these issues of gender fluidity and self-acceptance and all of these topics that are real, are very, very real."
AND SO IS THE BACKLASH.
MANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS HAVE BEEN POSTED ONLINE ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
THE AP HAS AGREED NOT TO USE THE DRAG QUEEN'S LEGAL NAME BECAUSE HE SAID HE FEARED HARASSMENT.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lil Miss Hot Mess, Drag Queen
"But those are people who think that gay people are sinful or evil or you know bad to begin with so we are just sort of starting from such different places that it's kind of irrelevant to me."
THE PROGRAM THOUGH IS A HIT WITH THE PARTICIPANTS HERE.
SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Ortiz, Mother
"It was great, so much energy. (mother talks to her child) Did you like it?"
Child: "Yeah."
PARENTS SAY THEY WELCOME THE DIVERSITY.
SOUNDBITE (English) Kesa Huey, Mother
"That's what I'm looking for in all of our outings is to present different ways of being in the world and make that fun and available to my kid."
A DIFFERENT TAKE ON STORY TIME.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lil Miss Hot Mess, Drag Queen
"Penelope wanted to dress kind of cool but Tiny sort of wants her to dress kind of normal."
"Do you get that everyone thinks that this girl is a boy because she is a little bit of a tomboy."
ENGAGING YOUNG MINDS THROUGH SIGHTS AND SOUNDS.
TED SHAFFREY, ASSOCIATED PRESS, NEW YORK

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