ROCKFORD – Last Saturday, Rockford area residents gathered outside the East Branch Rockford Public Library upset with a Drag Queen Story hour going on inside the taxpayer-funded venue. While these parents and concerned citizens stood outside, a man and a 13 year old boy – both dressed as females – explained their gender choices to toddlers, preschoolers and elementary age children.
The use of tax dollars to advocate a lifestyle in direct contradiction to the protesters' religious beliefs and world views prompted "hundreds" – according to a local TV news story – to voice their opposition in front of the library.
From Rockford news coverage
"We are gathered, not as haters, bigots or homophobes, but as parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents," said a statement issued by the group. "We understand that we will labeled as hateful, though we do not hate the gentleman who will appear in makeup and women's garb before 3-8 year olds and their parents today."
The Drag Queen Story Hour began nationwide four years ago to emphasize "gender fluidity," one DQSH webpage says. “DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models.”
Proponents of the Drag Queen Story Hour at the Rockford Library Board said, “Drag Queen Story Hour has been featured in public libraries around the country and is intended to help a child 3-8 years old, in the presence of a supervising and caring parent/responsible adult to understand diversity, inclusion and expression of self. This is done through the reading of age-appropriate stories and other activities which will help the participants to understand that it is OK to be viewed as different…”
But the Rockford parents questioned that theory. "Is it a positive that children be provided 'unabashedly queer role models'? Or is the psyche of a child age 4-12 better served by avoidance of images and topics related to sex? DQSH is wrong for the same reason that taking a 6 year old to an R-rated movie is wrong."
There are plenty of age-appropriate and non-sexual children's stories, fictional and biographical, that emphasize the importance of accepting others, and of blazing one's unique trail, the parents said.
The American Library Association has a webpage devoted to DQSH and handling community protests, which states that “Decisions about programming are made at the local level and are based on individual library policy.”
That is not true, the parents said, since "We understand that the Rockford Public Library Board was simply provided information as to the date and time of today's event, with no option to refuse it."
"Why is the Rockford Public Library using taxpayer dollars to celebrate a man's personal choice to dress as the opposite sex?" the parents asked. "We'd be glad if a nurse or a firefighter came to read to children about their vocational choices, but to read a politically correct (PC) children's book to celebrate a man's sexual identity choice is bizarre, however clothed in the language of 'diversity.'"
The Rockford parents asked the Library Board if it would schedule a reading of an age-appropriate book about the value of human life by a representative with pro-life views. They say they were told that this would not be allowed.
The protest was covered by local Rockford news:
