An inappropriate venue

Attending the “Understanding Drag: A community discussion” on June 14 was eye-opening.

It was stated several times that drag is simply a performance art, with a long history as entertainment. That sounded lighthearted, and delightful. One speaker compared it to hearing grandmother read to children. However, as the discussion continued the timbre of comments drifted to more serious issues: expressing gender fluidity outside of the adult night club scene, the desire to be taken seriously, to teach children empathy and give children role models.

It is difficult to reconcile conflicted phrases like, “I would not have chosen this [life] for myself” and “we have fought hard and we won’t go back,” to “[drag] is adults playing dress-up,” and the story time is “magical” and “a celebration.” The panel was not convincing. Story time should not expose children to identity issues.

When those who opposed drag story time were scolded for making children the battleground for the struggle over gender fluidity, I was stunned. Who is walking into the world of children to put controversial challenges of gender fluidity before them? Story time may be child-centered, but gender issues are not.

Carolyn Jacobs

Spokane