If it’s not about creating empathy for trans people, then I am against trans reading hour. Sorry, but I don’t care if kids like brightly colored stuff or someone would like to read to them.
My own preference is that role models should give you a goal or aspiration. I don’t think becoming a drag queen should be an aspiration, the same way I don’t think becoming a reality tv star should be an aspiration. Do I care if my own kid would want to be a drag queen? No. If we’re talking about creating goals for children’s future, then performance arts (while interesting) are not the goal that I would choose. That’s just my STEM bias, I guess.
If someone is both a scientist and drag queen, that’s awesome and I think we should celebrate that person. For most people, the barrier to entry to become a drag queen is zero and should not be a goal for future generations. Even reality tv stardom seems to require more skill and talent then, apparently.
Edit: I am not for giving kids role models for things which apparently don’t require skill or talent. Come to think of it, a lot of performance arts require skill and talent. Does being a drag queen require any skill or talent? If I am wrong, let me know
It is about creating empathy for trans people, like I said awareness about differences etc. And like I said, not really a role model because they don’t promote becoming trans or being a drag performer to the kids.
Drag performances definitely requires talent.
Bully for you, not doing things because they are fun and excluding activities that don’t serve a utilitarian purpose. This is reading hour for kids, not a presentation at Harvard. Last I checked, things need to be fun to get children engaged.
The program strives to “capture the imagination and play of gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models”.[8]
Preferably, kids should have high talent and high skill queer role models, simply because the world is tough and I don’t want progressive kids to end up shark chum.
To clarify where I am coming from: I am an advocate for queer rights, and that includes anyone who does drag. So if we’re bringing in drag queens for story hour, maybe a compromise is that the performer should be something else too, like a ballerina or firefighter (as mentioned my preference is STEM). I don’t care, but simply being a drag queen is not enough. I am sorry
That’s a pretty flimsy argument lol, I think again it’s a bit silly to just assume a drag book reading is immediately going to lead all the children to look up to drag models and want to emulate it.
Some drag queens do make a career out of it. And have fun doing it, I might add.
Or people just take it on as a fun hobby. Do you also have a list of approved hobbies kids can learn about?
And you do realize that it’s not a zero-sum game, right? You can introduce kids to drag queens and firefighters and doctors and astronauts; there’s no rule where you’re required to just pick one.
And, y’know, oh no, Heaven forbid kids don’t get read to by one of your ‘approved’ roll models once or twice in their lives. By that ‘logic’ should regular librarians be banned from reading books too? And maybe most parents, if they’re not in STEM?
You may need to take a step back and look, really look, at your beliefs here. Because you’re veering very close to the helicopter parent attitude of controlling every single hobby, habit, and interaction of your kid to force them into your mental ideal, and that is way, way more unhealthy for kids than a one-time Drag Queen Reading Hour.
If it’s not about creating empathy for trans people, then I am against trans reading hour. Sorry, but I don’t care if kids like brightly colored stuff or someone would like to read to them.
My own preference is that role models should give you a goal or aspiration. I don’t think becoming a drag queen should be an aspiration, the same way I don’t think becoming a reality tv star should be an aspiration. Do I care if my own kid would want to be a drag queen? No. If we’re talking about creating goals for children’s future, then performance arts (while interesting) are not the goal that I would choose. That’s just my STEM bias, I guess.
If someone is both a scientist and drag queen, that’s awesome and I think we should celebrate that person. For most people, the barrier to entry to become a drag queen is zero and should not be a goal for future generations. Even reality tv stardom seems to require more skill and talent then, apparently.
Edit: I am not for giving kids role models for things which apparently don’t require skill or talent. Come to think of it, a lot of performance arts require skill and talent. Does being a drag queen require any skill or talent? If I am wrong, let me know
It is about creating empathy for trans people, like I said awareness about differences etc. And like I said, not really a role model because they don’t promote becoming trans or being a drag performer to the kids.
Drag performances definitely requires talent.
Bully for you, not doing things because they are fun and excluding activities that don’t serve a utilitarian purpose. This is reading hour for kids, not a presentation at Harvard. Last I checked, things need to be fun to get children engaged.
Why are you thinking it has to be a role model situation?
That’s a good question, I am getting it from here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_Queen_Story_Hour
Preferably, kids should have high talent and high skill queer role models, simply because the world is tough and I don’t want progressive kids to end up shark chum.
To clarify where I am coming from: I am an advocate for queer rights, and that includes anyone who does drag. So if we’re bringing in drag queens for story hour, maybe a compromise is that the performer should be something else too, like a ballerina or firefighter (as mentioned my preference is STEM). I don’t care, but simply being a drag queen is not enough. I am sorry
Why isn’t it enough? And the next paragraph after your snippet says exactly what behavior they are modeling for the children.
Creativity and individualism.
Why can’t we find outlets for creativity which require skill or talent?
But we did. Drag requires skill.
That’s a pretty flimsy argument lol, I think again it’s a bit silly to just assume a drag book reading is immediately going to lead all the children to look up to drag models and want to emulate it.
Yeah it is but apparently nifty doesn’t get the whole value of charity+acceptance+individualism+reading or something.
Some drag queens do make a career out of it. And have fun doing it, I might add.
Or people just take it on as a fun hobby. Do you also have a list of approved hobbies kids can learn about?
And you do realize that it’s not a zero-sum game, right? You can introduce kids to drag queens and firefighters and doctors and astronauts; there’s no rule where you’re required to just pick one.
And, y’know, oh no, Heaven forbid kids don’t get read to by one of your ‘approved’ roll models once or twice in their lives. By that ‘logic’ should regular librarians be banned from reading books too? And maybe most parents, if they’re not in STEM?
You may need to take a step back and look, really look, at your beliefs here. Because you’re veering very close to the helicopter parent attitude of controlling every single hobby, habit, and interaction of your kid to force them into your mental ideal, and that is way, way more unhealthy for kids than a one-time Drag Queen Reading Hour.