Elementary school hosts”Drag Queen Story Hour” as part unit on “Identity” during the school day

Summary

Beeman Elementary School in Newhaven, Vermont is set to hold a “Drag Queen Story Hour” on April 10th as part of an “Identity Unit.” This event is led by BEE Friends, the Beeman Elementary School Parents-Teachers Organization (PTO). The Vermont Daily Chronicle first broke this story. Their reporting is found here.

Other programming during the week, according to the minutes of the March 4 meeting of the local school board, describe the April 10-15 Identity Unit activities:

● Friday April 10 – Sweethearts & Heroes – Inclusion – K-2, 3-5 (k-3, 3-6 assembly and breakout groups in the morning)

● Friday April 10 – Drag Queen Story Hour (1:00p)

● Monday April 13 – Duncan Tonatiuh

● Tuesday April 14 – Changing Perspectives

● Wednesday April 15 – A2VT (1:30p)will include a “Changing Perspectives” training on social-emotional learning as well as other events related to identity.

Drag Queen Story Hour at Beeman Elementary School

The Drag Queen Story Hour is set to take place on Friday, April 10th at 1pm.

Drag Queen Story Hour, better known as Drag Story Hour, started in 2015. According to the group’s website, “It started out as drag queens reading stories to children in libraries and grew into a global phenomenon! DSH now offers literary and creative programming for kids and teens of all ages led by drag queens, kings, and all other royal beings!”

In their “Signature Story Hour” programming, there is a drag-themed icebreaker activity and a Q&A, in addition to the “trained Storyteller” reading two to four books for the children.

Those against Drag Story Hour programming argue, “Drag Queen Story Hour pitches itself as a family-friendly event to promote reading, tolerance, and inclusion. ‘In spaces like this,’ the organization’s website reads, ‘kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves.’ But many parents, even if reluctant to say it publicly, have an instinctual distrust of adult men in women’s clothing dancing and exploring sexual themes with their children.”

Identity Unit Programming

Other programming during the April week include a $1000 visit from Mexican-American author Duncan Tonatiuh, A2VT (a Vermont-based hip-hop group), a “Changing Perspectives” training on social-emotional learning, as well as an anti-bullying and inclusivity training.