UK: This library programme is teaching kids about freedom and acceptance – through drag queens

This week a library in Bristol became the first in the UK to hold a brand new event for children, Drag Queen Story Time. Yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like – stories read to kids, by drag queens.

Thomas Canham set up Drag Queen Story Time two months ago, after seeing the success a similar programme has had in the United States.

Drag Queen Story Hour, created by writer Michelle Tea and Radar Productions, began in San Francisco in December 2015 and soon spread to New York.

Although Canham, a law student in his mid-20s, doesn’t exactly seem like a likely candidate for organising drag performances, he’s been a fan of drag for a long time, and knows a lot of the queens in Bristol. So when he heard about Story Hour in the US, he thought it was a brilliant idea, and knew he wanted to bring it to the UK.

So far the journey has been “hectic,” Canham tells PinkNews, with lots of interest from parents, drag queens and media after only two months. They’ve performed at Bristol Pride and in Soho, London, and this Monday did two readings at Bishopston and Bishopsworth libraries in Bristol.

Both events were oversubscribed, with over 100 people attending, and were a great success for all the family. Read more via Pink News