‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice
Drag queen storytime (DQS), also known as drag (queen) story-hour, has been implemented in selected libraries and schools across North America, Oceania, and the United Kingdom, to open safe spaces for drag queens to read children’s books that may involve LGBTQA+ characters or subject matters. Unfort...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2024
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| Online Access: | https://axonjournal.com.au/translate-transform-transdiscipline/where-safe-space http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95595 |
| _version_ | 1848766033328865280 |
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| author | Chen, Julian Cumming-Potvin, Wendy Andreassen, Kim McKenzie, Bri |
| author_facet | Chen, Julian Cumming-Potvin, Wendy Andreassen, Kim McKenzie, Bri |
| author_sort | Chen, Julian |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Drag queen storytime (DQS), also known as drag (queen) story-hour, has been implemented in selected libraries and schools across North America, Oceania, and the United Kingdom, to open safe spaces for drag queens to read children’s books that may involve LGBTQA+ characters or subject matters. Unfortunately, despite its popularity with many children and families, DQS has faced intense public protests regarding the perceived LGBTQA+ themed texts, and violent threats against the performers and organisers. Underpinned by queer, transgender, and feminist theory as well as intersectionality, this creative essay probes the current affairs of DQS as it relates to LGBTQA+ human rights. As a platform to highlight LGBTQA+ digital, visual, and print texts, this essay channels the authors’ ‘inner drags’ and draws on queer narrative inquiry to critically reflect and face our own fear and vulnerability in professional and queer undertaking. Using a recent DQS incident as a case in point, we demonstrate how unleashing our inner queerness through drag can empower us as queer academics and allies to counter ‘dragphobia’ and celebrate gender and sexuality diversity. This creative work aspires to provide provocations for further exploration of queer inclusivity across social, cultural, and political intersections, with the intent to promote LGBTQA+ inclusive practices. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:44:42Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-95595 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:44:42Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-955952024-08-05T00:59:46Z ‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice Chen, Julian Cumming-Potvin, Wendy Andreassen, Kim McKenzie, Bri Drag queen storytime (DQS), also known as drag (queen) story-hour, has been implemented in selected libraries and schools across North America, Oceania, and the United Kingdom, to open safe spaces for drag queens to read children’s books that may involve LGBTQA+ characters or subject matters. Unfortunately, despite its popularity with many children and families, DQS has faced intense public protests regarding the perceived LGBTQA+ themed texts, and violent threats against the performers and organisers. Underpinned by queer, transgender, and feminist theory as well as intersectionality, this creative essay probes the current affairs of DQS as it relates to LGBTQA+ human rights. As a platform to highlight LGBTQA+ digital, visual, and print texts, this essay channels the authors’ ‘inner drags’ and draws on queer narrative inquiry to critically reflect and face our own fear and vulnerability in professional and queer undertaking. Using a recent DQS incident as a case in point, we demonstrate how unleashing our inner queerness through drag can empower us as queer academics and allies to counter ‘dragphobia’ and celebrate gender and sexuality diversity. This creative work aspires to provide provocations for further exploration of queer inclusivity across social, cultural, and political intersections, with the intent to promote LGBTQA+ inclusive practices. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95595 10.54375/001/64nzb02d6n https://axonjournal.com.au/translate-transform-transdiscipline/where-safe-space fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Chen, Julian Cumming-Potvin, Wendy Andreassen, Kim McKenzie, Bri ‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice |
| title | ‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice |
| title_full | ‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice |
| title_fullStr | ‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice |
| title_short | ‘Where is the safe space?!’ From drag queen storytime to LGBTQA+ inclusive practice |
| title_sort | ‘where is the safe space?!’ from drag queen storytime to lgbtqa+ inclusive practice |
| url | https://axonjournal.com.au/translate-transform-transdiscipline/where-safe-space http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95595 |