Eric L. Pinckney
My drag persona is Miss Savannah Georgia – New Jersey’s favorite old-school glamour drag queen diva. I have been a drag entertainer for more than six years now.
While in drag, I’ve performed at many restaurants, bars, nightclubs, galas, benefits, fundraisers and festivals. I’ve facilitated and hosted dozens of drag shows, drag bingos, drag brunches, drag trivia nights, drag karaoke events and tea dances.
Among all those performances, I gladly admit that my favorite performances are center stage, right in front of young children, reading books to them during Drag Queen Story Hour. I know that’s a hot button issue these days, as there are states that are trying their best to halt my favorite performance spaces.
The members of the drag community are under fire, and it’s a pointless war we are forced to fight. And this battle being thrust upon us has too many innocent bystanders who could be damaged in the struggles.
Those innocent bystanders are the voices of our future generation – the youth.
My opposition as a drag performer is the false assumption that young children would be harmed in some way by attending a Drag Queen Story Hour, or other events featuring drag performers. This is just not the case, and trying so hard to keep young children away from this form of entertainment is doing a disservice to young minds.
Kids aren’t confused by drag queens. They’re confused by hate.
These story hours have attracted the attention and ire of right-wing extremists and conservative parents and politicians, some insisting that the events appeal to pedophiles. This is just not true, and I’m praying that these individuals who are so against drag performers, creating such chaos in our community, finally take a good look in the mirror. If they were to do so, they might not be able to look at themselves.
Why? Because those individuals might have to finally conclude that they, themselves, are the problem. Keeping young minds closed is never a good thing. And by keeping drag performers from even reading a book such as “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss, “The Not-so Perfect Penguin” by Steve Smallman, or “The Star of the Zoo” by Virginie Zurcher and Daniel Howarth – just a name a few of my favorites − those against the drag community are doing a disservice.
Young children must learn a lot of things at an early age, and one of the most important lessons they need to learn is about love, acceptance and compassion. Those opposing the drag community and every treasure that we bring to the world obviously need to learn those lessons as well.
When young children are at drag queen story hours, they aren’t seeing Miss Savannah (or countless other drag queens) as men “dressed resembling a girl”; they are seeing a person reading to them. Once those against us cause the ruckus with their protesting and dissent, they are forcing the young children to become confused – and that’s not right. In fact, it’s a travesty, because due to their continued protests they are forcing children to see others as less-than, or people to be avoided.
What kind of lesson is that teaching children?
From 2018-20 I served as a board member on the Asbury Park Board of Education, and I was likely the first active drag queen ever elected to a school board in New Jersey. I don’t have any children, but I still wanted to serve in that capacity because the youth of today need our help, guidance and support where they can get it. Hopefully, those opposed to the drag community and the treasures that we offer the world will find a way to get it together and stop coming for us.
Drag isn’t a danger to kids.It can help them find themselves – just like it did for me.
Drag performers aren’t dangerous, but these state laws are
When will drag performers stop being vilified? Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have proposed laws to outlaw drag in public or at businesses that admit people under 18.
In Tennessee, the state has gone so far as to enact legislation criminalizing some drag performances. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law that would restrict public drag show performances, making his state the first to do so this year.
Tennessee drag law unconstitutional:A judge ruled Tennessee’s drag law unconstitutional. Ctizens are better off.
The state Senate passed the bill along party lines to limit “adult cabaret performances” on public property so as to shield them from the view of children, threatening violators with a misdemeanor and repeat offenders with a felony. The law was later tossed out by a federal judge – at least for now.
I recently hosted a Drag Queen Story Hour at Asbury Book Cooperative, a bookstore in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It was in connection with the North to Shore Festival. It was very well-attended by children and their parents, as well as members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community. Miss Savannah read stories and conducted sing-alongs.
Protesters have been at a previous story hour in Asbury Park, so there was some fear that they would be at this event. Of course, I was ready for them. I was given the option of cancelling the story hour, but I don’t scare easily. So it was full steam ahead. I had my bullhorn ready just in case, prepared to sing “Greatest Love of All” and “Put A Little Love in Your Heart” at the top of my lungs to the protesters.
But the protesters didn’t show up, and all went great for the children. They enjoyed themselves, and so did Miss Savannah. If I were living and performing in the states that are contemplating such bans, I wouldn’t be able to do what I enjoy the most as a performer – Drag Queen Story Hour.
When people ask me why drag performers should be able to read to children at these events, I try to give the easiest answer I can. Simply put: If parents don’t have a problem with their children enjoying the talents of clowns up close at a circus or birthday party, then why would they have a problem letting a drag performer read a story to their children?
That’s not to say drag performers are clowns. It’s a correlation that must be made to help those against us understand how foolish they are being.
We as a nation need to unite and stop all this insanity. Drag performers are not dangerous, and if we can’t learn to spread love and squash hate, we’re going to continually move backward.
Let’s spread love. Let’s squash hate.
Eric L. Pinckney, a former board member of the Asbury Park Board of Education, is Miss Savannah Georgia, a drag performer in New Jersey.