The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in the nation’s capital hosted a “Drag Story Hour” last month as part of so-called Family Pride Day activities without conducting background checks on the male performers, who dressed and wore makeup like women.
King Library, the central location of the D.C. Public Library system, described the event as a “fun-filled afternoon” of drag queen performances, crafts, and “a variety of family-friendly books all about Pride.”
The D.C. library listed “birth to 5” as the age range for the event.
We at The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project decided to investigate, particularly considering a recent uptick of cross-dressers arrested for and charged with sexual crimes. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news outlet.)
These incidents, to specify a few examples, include a member of the controversial Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag group arrested and charged with masturbating in a public park; a drag queen from the TV reality show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” arrested for disrupting traffic in Florida with a sex toy; and a transgender Democrat from New Hampshire arrested for distributing child porn.
Heritage’s Oversight Project team has been investigating the intersection of sexual crime and the transgender epidemic. We recently uncovered the shocking fact that over half of the men who say they identify as transgender women in Wisconsin prisons have been convicted of sex crimes.
My colleague at The Daily Signal, Mary Margaret Olohan, discovered that one biological male was a housed in a women’s prison even though he had raped his own 10-year-old daughter.
In light of these disturbing findings, we asked the D.C. Public Library to provide all records regarding a background check on the performers for the “Drag Story Hour” event Sept. 10.
Library officials completed their response to us this week, and lo and behold, they admitted to doing no background check at all for the drag performers.
Records delivered by the library were completely devoid of a mention of background checks, let alone any scrutiny at all for the drag queens invited to perform for young children.
The documents did include some interesting communications, however. First, they show that, one week out from the library’s event, only one family had registered.
Second, Alexandra Genia, a children’s librarian who describes herself on social media as a “queer Odawa gal,” uses an email signature saying the library is “on the ancestral lands of the Nacotchtank and Piscataway peoples.” Genia’s signature line also specifies her personal pronouns as “they” and “them.”
We easily discovered more information about Genia that raises questions about the librarian’s competence to be around children.
A quick review of her social media accounts revealed the following disturbing posts, including a photo of a T-shirt with the message “Columbus Was a Murderer”:
Third, the D.C. library system worked in partnership with the radical LGBTQ group Human Rights Campaign, a major proponent of giving cross-sex hormones to minors, despite science clearly indicating the horrific dangers of this practice.
A recent Heritage Foundation study highlighted the high risk of suicide among minors who say they are transgender. Contrary to reporting by activist groups and the so-called mainstream media, the study found that “easing access to puberty blockers famand cross-sex hormones by minors without parental consent increases suicide risks.”
Fourth, the D.C. Public Library records show an institutionalization of the organizational apparatus surrounding “Drag Story Hour” and similar events. Beth DiGregorio, president of a group called Drag Story Hour DC Metro and Surrounding Areas, indicated expertise in scheduling such events around “babies and toddlers.”
When conservatives protested “Drag Story Hours” earlier this year, DiGregorio responded by saying: “‘Drag Story Hour’ has the same essential purpose as any other story hour: to promote literacy while having fun. … We focus on creating safe and welcoming spaces for queer families. … Having a drag storyteller creates an atmosphere of joy that shows children there is no wrong way to be you.”
DiGregorio’s email signature line says her personal pronouns are “they” and “them.”
A quick review of the social media accounts of Brandon Hooks, a deputy director of the Human Rights Campaign, found these images of him in drag and cross-dressing at an HRC event:
The origins of DiGregorio’s D.C. area organization are discussed in a short YouTube video featuring Sarah Jacobs, president of WAM & Fam, an independent Maryland parents group that boasts of its inclusivity for all gender identities and sexual orientations.
In the video, Jacobs discusses the success of an inaugural event for children featuring drag performers, including “a little kiddo in our group who recently came out as nonbinary.” Jacobs also praised the impact of drag queens on impressionable young children, referring to “performers who really do embrace that in themselves” and saying that “is infectious to the kids.”
Her use of the word “infectious” in the video presents serious concerns, given the high degree of transmissibility of transgenderism among young children. This characteristic is expertly laid out in Abigail Shrier’s preeminent 2020 book on the topic “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters.”
Fifth, we at Heritage’s Oversight Project discovered the radical book selections planned for “Drag Story Hour” readings to babies and toddlers at the King Library on Family Pride Day.
In a quick review of the event’s list of books, we discovered these degenerate descriptions and images offered to kids from “birth” to age 5:
1. “Bye Bye Binary” by Eric Geron
Publisher’s description: “Is it a boy? Or a girl? WHAT’S IT TO YA?! Our little bundle of joy has arrived—to dismantle gender norms! A joyful baby refuses to conform to the gender binary and instead chooses toys, colors, and clothes that make them happy.”
“Miss Rita, Mystery Reader” by Sam Donovan and Kristen Wixted
Publisher’s description: “In Sam Donovan, Kristen Wixted & Violet Tobacco’s heartwarming picture book ‘Miss Rita, Mystery Reader,’ Tori can’t wait to show off Daddy’s drag queen alter ego, Miss Rita, at school story time. But will the other kids love Miss Rita like Tori does?”
“If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It” by Lil Miss Hot Mess
Publisher’s description: “Strike a pose. Blow a kiss. Mouth the words. A fun, sing-along book with a drag twist that encourages kids to embrace all the playfulness of drag culture written by a founding member of Drag Queen Story Hour. If you’re a drag queen and you know it, let it show by winking, shaking your bum, laughing real big, twirling around, and more!”
The author known as Lil Miss Hot Mess reads the book on “Drag Story Hour’s” YouTube channel.
“When Aidan Became a Brother” by Kyle Lukoff
Publisher’s description: “When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life.”
“Papa, Daddy, and Riley” by Seamus Kirst
Publisher’s description: “Riley is Papa’s princess and Daddy’s dragon. She loves her two fathers! When Riley’s classmate asks her which dad is her real one, Riley is confused. She doesn’t want to have to pick one or the other.”
“This Day in June” by Gayle E. Pitman
Publisher’s description: “‘This Day In June’ allows readers to immerse themselves in a celebration of pride and share in a day when we are all unified. It’s a beautiful, humorous, and powerful reflection on the LGBTQ+ community.”
And finally, the D.C. Library has a troubling history of associations in this space. The library system in the nation’s capital partners with the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District on a monthly basis to host “Drag Storytime” or “Drag Queen Storytime” events for children.
The most recent such event was held in late September in partnership with the Adams Morgan group and The LINE Hotel D.C. Another drag story hour is planned for Oct. 29 at Unity Park in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.
The conclusion of Heritage’s Oversight Project after this investigation? Parents should avoid all D.C. libraries until officials put proper corrective measures and security upgrades in place.
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