Story time at Kingsbridge library is now a drag ... in a good way

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A sea of paper crowns covered in star stickers, a baby running around wearing a shirt with the word “feminist” on the front, and a drag queen in a sparkly dress set a vibrant scene for Kingsbridge Library’s first ever Drag Queen Story Hour.

The event took place July 13, beginning with an enthusiastic musical rendition of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” before Angel Elektra, a drag queen from Yonkers, sat children and parents down to read a series of books ranging from “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle to “It’s Okay To Be Different” by Todd Parr.

Drag Queen Story Hour took the country by storm in 2015 when writer Michelle Tea and literary nonprofit Radar Productions held events in San Francisco where drag queens — male performers acting and dressing as women — read to children in bookstores, libraries and schools. The aim of the event, according to organizers, is to promote children’s imaginations, celebrate diversity, and show them that gender identity is determined on a personal basis.  

Since then, the program expanded to Los Angeles. And then, last August, Drag Queen Story Hour made its way to New York City. The New York Public Library teamed up with the organization in the spring to hold one to two monthly events at branches across the city. 

Now that it’s made its way to Kingsbridge, Tanya Magni, a children’s librarian at the branch, said it was a perfect fit. 

“This event is important to the Kingsbridge branch because we want to promote the idea of celebrating difference and gender diversity,” she said. “It’s been shown that children who are exposed to different kinds of people at a young age have less instances of bullying in school. 

“Libraries are spaces that are openly accepting of everyone, so it feels particularly important to have an event focused on embracing these ideas at a young age.”

But before drag queens can entertain their younger audiences, they have to prep for what to expect. Drag Queen Story Hour provides a workshop for performers to learn how to read to children and answer questions from them or their parents.

Jonathan Hamilt, who handles marketing for Drag Queen Story Hour’s New York division, said the workshop is essential for its drag queens to learn that performing for children is far different than what they do for adults.

“You don’t know hard it is to talk to kids or read to kids until you actually do it,” Hamilt said. “It’s a whole different ballgame than lip-syncing to Beyoncé at a bar.” 

For Angel Elektra, the workshops taught her how to present the books she read to children and how to keep their attention. July 13 was the first time she ever participated in Drag Queen Story Hour. Now she wishes she had something like this when she was growing up.

“At the age of 5, 6, I already knew who I really was with myself, and it was really hard to let it out,” she said.

Hamilt shares the same sentiment. When he’s not promoting Drag Queen Story Hour, he’s taking part in it as Ona Louise, a stage name that happens to be his mother’s name. 

When his parents visited New York last month, they didn’t know he performed drag. But after attending a Drag Queen Story Hour where he read to children, Hamilt said they seemed excited and happy about the large crowd and positivity that came from the event. Growing up in the south and coming from a Christian family was tough as a gay man, but Hamilt loves the encouragement he and his peers can give to younger generations.

“I think it’s really great to have positive queer role models for young kids,” he said. “I really hope this curbs bullying and accepting everyone on the spectrum.” 

Back at Kingsbridge, Magni hopes the branch will have another Drag Queen Story Hour in the future, and that it continues to be a place where families can have constructive discussions about gender identity with their children.

“This program allows children to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and provides a space for them to express their curiosity,” Magni said. “Using books and songs is a great way to address these issues in a fun way. We hope families come away from the program with positive ways to continue those conversations with their children.”

Kingsbridge Library, Drag Queen Story Hour, Angel Elektra, Eric Carle, Todd Parr, Michelle Tea, Radar Productions, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York Public Library, Tanya Magni, Jonathan Hamilt, Ona Louise, Tiffany Moustakas

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