Drag Queens are performers

Drag is an expansive art form- Drag performers choose their roles, much like the actors and models we see in children television shows, or sponsorships for brands that advertise to children and families choose their roles. Those same actors also have the freedom to take on roles in adult oriented TV Shows and Movies, in centerfold spreads in magazines, or on the billboards that line our publicly funded highways.

Theresa refers to Drag Story Hour as a parody of womanhood. You have likely enjoyed performances of drag by the likes of Bugs Bunny, or of Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, or in Monty Python.

Theresa brings up concerns of publicly funded ideological indoctrination- a concept I became very familiar with in middle and high school when I was subjected to homophobic rhetoric from several school employees.

I am lucky to have had the support of many wonderful teachers, family members, spiritual leaders, and community members on a personal level- many LGBTQIA+ kids unfortunately are forced to survive without this support. Some of them unfortunately will not survive.

I would have never imagined a drag queen story hour, or a Cook County Pride, 12 years ago when I made the decision to leave Cook County, largely because I did not feel safe here as a young queer person. Ironically, Theresa astutely quotes dragqueenstoryhour.com: “The reality is that at its core, drag queen story hour is aimed at encouraging kids to be their authentic selves and become bright lights of change in their communities”. I am so happy to see these changes in action.

Make no mistake, queer youth have always and always will exist in Cook County (and everywhere)- they will exist despite lack of resources or support from their families, their peers, their libraries, their educators, or their communities at large. It is of course each parent’s right to choose to prevent their children from attending such events. Many of them will make the very difficult choice to leave their homes and find community and chosen family elsewhere.

Christopher Hoglund