The Department of Education in New York City really out-libbed themselves this time. The DE decided to add drag queen story hour to their PBS programming that targets children ages 3 to 8 years. As you can imagine, parents were furious. PBS immediately went on the defence after the backlash.
The Daily Caller first reported on the episode of a series called “Let’s Learn,” which is a partnership between PBS member station WNET-TV and the NYCDOE. It aims to help “children 3-8 with at-home learning” with programs featuring “instruction by educators and virtual field trips.”
“I am a drag queen and a children’s book author,” Little Miss Hot Mess begins, “and you may be wondering to yourself: ‘What on earth is a drag queen?'”
The host then described drag queens in part as “everyday people who like to play pretend and dress up as often as we can,” going on to say drag queens “also are leaders in our community, and if you ask me: we make pretty good role models.
After the lengthy description, Little Miss Hot Mess declares, “Today I’m going to read from my own book, which is ‘The Hips On the Drag Queen Go Swish Swish Swish,'” performing it to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
The author explained, “I wrote this book because I wanted everyone to get to experience the magic of drag and to get a little practice shaking their hips or shimmying their shoulders to know how we can feel fabulous inside of our own bodies.”
At one point, Little Miss Hot Mess tells her audience, “I think we might have some drag queens in training on our hands.”
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“Let’s Learn storybooks are selected by early literacy experts at the New York City Department of Education,” Lindsey Horvitz of WNET told Fox News on Thursday after the backlash hit.
“The program strives to incorporate themes that explore diversity and promote inclusivity, which are relevant to education and society. Drag is a performance art that can inspire creative thinking and the questioning of stereotypes. Lil Miss Hot Mess is the author of the book, The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish. She serves on the global leadership team of Drag Queen Story Hour and has hosted readings at numerous libraries, children’s museums and schools across the country.”
During the program, Lil’ Miss Hot Mess danced and sang to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
“The hips on the drag queen go swish, swish, swish. Swish, swish, swish. Swish, swish, swish,” sang Lil Miss Hot Mess.
Drag queen Little Miss Hot Mess sings "The Hips On the Drag Queen Go Swish Swish Swish" to a virtual child audience on an episode of “Let’s Learn,” produced in partnership by WNET and the New York City Department of Education and aired on PBS. pic.twitter.com/pK9fjoOPMe
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 20, 2021
NYC Department of Education launched the “Let’s Learn” program as a “supplemental resource for remote and blended learning,” according to its website:
“Through lessons taped by educators, the program offers age-appropriate content that is aligned to education standards and lessons for early childhood education, focusing on foundational reading and writing skills, literacy, math, science, social studies and the arts,” it reads.
“The series also supports social-emotional learning and brings viewers on virtual field trips to see dance performances, meet animals, visit botanical gardens, and more.”
I guess this fell into the category of “and more”? I certainly wouldn’t call it ‘age appropriate’ for children as young as 3-years-old. Come on…