An event aimed at celebrating “all things LGBTQ” with children as young as three has provoked outrage.
The Drag Queen Story Time event will be held at Taunton Library in February for LGBTQ+ History Month, with performer Alyssa Van Delle reading children’s books with LGBT themes.
A survey for the Somerset County Gazette currently shows 65 per cent of over 2,600 respondents find the event “inappropriate”.
‘Sexualising children’
The event has left many upset, with some taking to social media to express their disapproval.
One said: “This is completely inappropriate for children. Why are grown adults trying to teach pre-school children about sexuality anyway? Just let children be children!”
Another said: “How can anyone in their right mind look at this idea and think it’s ok for children to be introduced to drag queens? Stop sexualising children, and stop wasting tax payers money on grooming children. This is abhorrent.”
Better role models
Others expressed deep concerns over such an “over-sexualised, misogynistic portrayal of women”.
One commented: “Can I ask why you want to promote these regressive and sexist parodies of women to children?
“Can you not show more positive role models to young girls and boys such as women scientists, engineers, doctors, artists and even politicians?”
Event organiser Tom Canham defended his event, saying people “love it”.
