Public Library Invites Children To ‘Drag Queen Story Hours’

Children in Minnesota are welcome to partake in “drag queen story hours” at the public library this summer.

According to LifeSiteNews, the wholly taxpayer-funded St. Paul Public Library is putting on these events as part of its “inclusivity” campaign. Little children can serve witness to this at various locations.

Planning the event will be the adult-centered party company Flip Phone Events, which typically caters to the 18 and older crowd, not little kids. The event is scheduled for June 11, June 16, and July 11.

“Come meet some fabulous drag queens and kings at the library!” reads an ad for the June 11 reading. “They will read stories, sing songs, and strut their stuff for an over-the-top story hour. All ages welcome.”

After parents started unsurprisingly expressing outrage, which Flip Phone Events described as “MEGA troll[ing],” the organization asked its Twitter followers to defend them online. Speaking with Alpha News, parents expressed concern over the event, though they refused to go on record.

“In addition to Drag Story Hour, patrons can find a selection of staff-recommended materials on the library’s website for Pride, including a fun primer on drag culture with recommended DVDs, books, and online resources,” the library said in a press release about the event, while recommending 21 “great LGBTQIA” books for little children. They call this the “Rainbow Collection.”

“Drag queen story hours” have become a new trend at public libraries around the country as a way to give kids “glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models,” according to the group’s national website. “In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish.”