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In a blue dress and bedazzled makeup, drag performer the Boy Princess read children’s books and sang familiar hymns to an estimated 30 children at the Redwood City Public Library last Saturday.
While the Drag Story Hour event brought nearly 150 attendees, almost a dozen people protested in and outside the library.
For the drag performer Baylee Van, director of Drag Story Hour San Francisco, Saturday’s morning story hour was about self-love and acceptance.
“Whoever that is, and whatever that looks like,” Van said. “And accepting the people around you for whoever they are.”
Van read three books to the children during the story hour on Saturday, Nov. 18. One of the books, “I Hope You Will Know” by Jaren Ahlmann, was about unconditional love. Another book, “No One Owns the Colors” by Gianna Davy, was about self-expression and self-love. The third book, “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish,” was a twist on the classic school song “Wheels on the Bus.”
“All of our books are about accepting yourself. We talk a lot about the joy of colors, how we are all part of nature, and a community that is here to support each other. And that's what our stories and programs are about,” Van said. “It’s really about creating a safe space and representing all types of people.”
While people picketed outside, around half a dozen sat in on the story hour, holding signs quietly.
Protestor Fred Garvey said he believed that although the books’ contents weren’t sexual in nature, parents should know where to draw the line.
“It's the tip of the iceberg,” Garvey said. “There was nothing too wrong about the content, except for maybe the drag queen story, but you know the rest of it, you know, was like a storybook I would read my three-year-old granddaughter.”
While the first Drag Story Hour took place over Zoom in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s was the first year the event was hosted in person inside the library, drawing community support and protestors alike.
This year’s event brought in more supporters but not as many protesters, Library Director Derek Wolfgram said.
For Van, they said they are used to the negative attention story hours bring.
“Because no matter who you are and what you experience, there will frequently be naysayers,” Van said.
The more exposure there is, the more we can show what it looks like versus assumptions people make.
Wolfgram said the library is a space for everybody, and it's a place where he wants to offer something to everyone. It’s the third year the library hosted the story hour, part of its efforts to provide an event for United Against Hate Week, a human rights organization focused on fighting against hate.
“(The story hour is) about lifting people in the community that don’t always get a voice and exposing people to different perspectives,” Wolfgram said. “Especially for kids, the opportunity to learn about inclusion, acceptance, caring, and love is really important, and this is one way we can provide that for the community.”
Resident Lauren Heminez said she loved the event and that it was about celebrating everyone.
“Whoever they are, however, they feel, and letting everyone be themselves and celebrating that,” Himinez said. “It's about building empathy for one another and celebrating all of us in our uniqueness.”
