For my free inquiry project, I chose to explore “Drag Story Hour”, a fabulous cultural phenomenon that began around ten years ago and has attracted lots of media attention recently. So, how did drag story hour begin? It was a dark and stormy night in San Francisco, and the year was 2015. Author and parent, Michelle Tea, noticed a lack of community events for children and families that were inclusive and embracing of Queer people like herself. So, under the leadership of Julián Delgado Lopera and Virgie Tovar, alongside  RADAR Productions (a non-profit literary arts organization that supports Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) Michelle helped create the first formal Drag Queen Story Hour events.

DSH began with drag queens reading books to children in libraries, but it evolved to include drag kings, things, and all types of drag performers. In October 2022, Drag Queen Story Hour was renamed Drag Story Hour to reflect the diverse performers taking part. The general concept of DSH is that representation matters, and it is part of education and community building.

Whether you are a child in a queer family, a queer child, or simply a friend, attending DSH is a way to understand the gender and cultural diversity of people through a tailored age-appropriate lens. But aside from purely promoting literacy and showcasing diversity, drag story times are meant to be fun! Drag for adults is campy, silly, and dramatic, and drag for children and teens is no different in these core aspects. Drag story time is rooted in the idea that if you add joy (glitter and wigs) to learning, it will spark children’s interest and create life-long learners. As a teacher candidate who struggled with early reading myself, that’s an idea I can get behind.

Sources:

April 02, 2024: Celebrate storytelling through the art of drag! Drag Queen Story Hour is opening hearts and minds with fabulous storytellers.

https://www.dragstoryhour.org/about

https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/the-truth-behind-drag-story-time-and-why-it-is-important-1.6562787

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/86-2721367#:~:text=We%20envision%20a%20world%20where,believe%20in%20and%20each%20other.