New York City has spent over $200,000 on sending drag queens into elementary schools since 2018. The city’s department of education claims the scheme promotes inclusivity and helps reduce violence against transgender people.
Some parents are outraged that they weren’t been consulted.
According to The Mail Online:
New York City has been spending heavily on sending drag queens into its public elementary schools, dropping more than $200,000 on appearances since 2018.
Just last month, records show the city paying $46,000 to send Drag Story Hour NYC to public schools, libraries, and street festivals, according to the New York Post.
Some parents say the programs were booked without their consent, while city officials have responded with outrage, according to the Post.
The news comes as debates rage across the country about how gender identity and young children should interact.
In 2022 alone, Drag Story Hour NYC has made 49 appearances at 34 public schools in New York City, according to its website.
The organization characterizes itself as promoting inclusivity, creativity, and acceptance of the self in children, by exposing them to drag queens reading similarly thematic books.
‘Through fun and fabulous educational experiences, our programs celebrate gender diversity and all forms of difference to build empathy and give kids the confidence to express themselves however they feel comfortable,’ the website reads.
Images from the site show people dressed in bedazzled dresses, shimmering wigs, and heavy eye shadow, reading to young children in classroom, and even helping the kids apply makeup themselves.
The company has received $207,000 from taxpayers since 2018, records show. $50,000 of that has come from the New York State Council on the Arts, and the other $157,000 from the NYC Department of Education, the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Department of Transportation, and Cultural Affairs.
The funds were provided by city council members, with $80,000 being allocated for drag programs in 2022 alone – over three times as much as was provided in 2020 for drag programs.
‘I can’t believe this. I am shocked,’ Helen Qiu, the mother of a Manhattan middle school student, told the Post, ‘I would be furious if he was exposed without my consent. This is not part of the curriculum…’
Queens City Council member Vicki Paladino responded with outrage over news of the city’s drag queen expenses.
‘I am considering pulling funding to any school in my district that is implementing Drag Queen Story Hour,’ Paladino said, ‘We are taking hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the pockets of hardworking New York taxpayers… to fund a program teaching little children about their gender fluidity? Not. On. My. Watch.’
The Department of Education defended the city’s expenses on the drag queen appearances at schools, characterizing them as helping prevent violence against transgender people.
‘Last year, 50 transgender or gender-nonconforming people were killed in the United States due to their identity,’ spokeswoman Suzan Sumer told the Post, ‘We believe our schools play a critical role in helping young people learn about and respect people who may be different from them.’
