Editorial: No one looks good in this Drag affair

Posted 6/13/19

Drag Queen Story Hour comes to Bristol on Saturday in a celebration of “Pride Month,” but there’s not much to be proud of here. The whole affair has been a mild embarrassment for …

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Editorial: No one looks good in this Drag affair

Posted

Drag Queen Story Hour comes to Bristol on Saturday in a celebration of “Pride Month,” but there’s not much to be proud of here. The whole affair has been a mild embarrassment for this community.

In essence, the town got played.

Supporters talk about men-dressed-as-women, reading books to children, in reverent terms, as if this is mandatory, celebratory programming for anyone hoping to raise open-minded, inclusive young people. They should be honest and recognize it for what it is. No, it is not offensive — in 2019, most adults between the ages of 18 and 70 are open and accepting of homosexuality, transgender, drag queens, etc. After all, this ain’t the 1950s, and we have all progressed much further than some activists suggest.

Drag Queen Story Hour is not offensive, but it is definitely uncomfortable. And that’s the point, right? By matching drag queens with children, the program pushes organizations and people into awkward spaces — especially when the drag queens are politicized (Bristol’s is a self-proclaimed Marxist) and sexualized. This program is designed to get a reaction, everywhere it goes.

Consider a standard story hour. The story is the show; the storyteller is just the medium between the story and the audience. If done well, the storyteller is invisible, with the words and message — the story — captivating young minds and taking them to new discoveries.

In this program, the storyteller is the show. By their very nature, drag queens are loud and attention-getting, with big hair, big curves, bright colors and scintillating outfits. They dress to be seen.

So when people say they’re a little uncomfortable with drag queens reading to children, they’re not homophobic, they’re honest. It’s a little weird, and if you can’t admit so, you’re not being genuine.

Organizations like Rogers Free Library face a lose-lose, or win-win choice, depending on one’s perspective. Say yes to the drag queen, and invite protest and opposition. Say no to the drag queen, and invite protest and opposition. Rogers Free made it far worse by saying yes, no and then yes again, triggering outrage on both sides. Consider the missteps:

• The library’s cancellation notice was loud and garish — an ugly red banner slapped across a Facebook event posting — devoid of any explanation or statement. It fueled anger.

• The library director’s comments to a Fall River newspaper were shallow and misguided. They fueled anger.

• The library trustees never should have canceled the event. By overruling their own employees and directors, they made the library look dysfunctional. Inside the library and outside, they fueled anger.

• The protesters put the ugliest light possible on Bristol. Within hours of the announced cancellation, they rushed to the steps outside their community library and chanted about homophobia and divisiveness. The crass name-calling and stereotyping were hypocritical, as the defendants never had a chance to even explain themselves. Some of those painted with that ugly broad brush are neighbors and friends, who must have been devastated to be called “homophobes” on both main street and social media.

• The Democratic Town Committee’s rush to public outcry was startling, especially considering the entire Silver Creek Bridge story affecting 25,000 Bristol residents (and every other local story in the past six months) has generated not a single public statement, but the drag queen story generated two comprehensive statements (including comments from every state legislator and two town councilors) in five days.

The whole affair has cast Bristol in an unfortunate and unfair light. The people of Bristol are better than what they’ve shown here.

Drag Queen Story Hour is designed to bring out the worst in a community. It succeeded here.

2024 by East Bay Media Group

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Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.