Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm hosted Drag Queen Hour in Jackson Heights Thursday (Photo: Courtesy of Van Bramer’s office)
July 26, 2019 By Christian Murray
Two elected officials hosted a special Drag Queen Story Hour at the Jackson Heights library Thursday to celebrate the record funding increase for public libraries and the new funds allocated for story hour.
Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm joined New York City-based drag queen Angel Elektra at the 35-51 81st Street library to highlight the City’s 2020 budget that includes nearly $564 million for public libraries, including a $25,000 allocation for Drag Queen Story Hour. Van Bramer and Dromm allocated $5,000 each for story hours in their respective districts.
Drag Queen Story Hour is targeted for children between ages 3 and 8. The program involves a drag queen trained by children’s librarians who reads picture books, sings songs, and leads children in craft activity. The program began in San Francisco in 2015 and spread to New York City in 2016.
“The Queens Public Library is a vital democratic institution where everyone is welcome to learn and explore,” Van Bramer, chair of the Cultural Affairs and Libraries Committee, said in a statement. “The funding we secured in this year’s budget will keep our public libraries’ doors open and enable them to expand their diverse programming to reach even more people.”
Van Bramer added, “I am especially proud to support Drag Queens Story Hour, a wonderfully imaginative and inclusive program for kids that encourages acceptance and a love of reading. Drag Queen Story Hour provides all kids with a space to be themselves and to see queer role models—something I desperately needed as a kid.”
Van Bramer and Dromm are both openly gay.
“Libraries are a vital part of every New York City neighborhood,” Dromm said. “I am particularly glad that Drag Queen Story Hour has found a home at city libraries, including the Queens Public Library. Drag Queen Story Hour is a fun and fabulous way of encouraging children to read. The flamboyancy and theatrics of Drag Queen Story Hour truly captures children’s attention and helps facilitate learning.”
The funding will help expand the program, including its bilingual drag queen story hour and those for children with autism and special needs.
“We’re excited to be able to bring more Drag Queens Story Hour programming to Queens Public Library branches this year,” said Rachel Aimee, executive director of the NYC Chapter of Drag Queen Story Hour.
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27 Comments
I’m all for reading and many people volunteer their time for FREE at public libraries throughout the city in childhood reading, literacy programs, ESL, adult literacy, citizenship preparation programs, etc. Why must our tax dollars ($25,000) be spent on this gimmick? Volunteers dedicate their time without any publicity or recognition, Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm use our tax dollars and Drag Queens for self-promotion. Using Drag Queens and our tax dollars to Bolster their image for the next election cycle is disgraceful — you turned a good thing into a spectacle and a sideshow for political gain.
Maybe your right though, reading to children in a library is part of a global conspiracy
This has to be some sort of sick joke, exposing kids to drag Queens. I don’t mind people doing what they wish to do or be . Let us not start children out at a young age to see things adults are old enough to know about.
MRLIC, socialist Democrats like you should respect our former mayor.
I am not a Socialist or a Democrat . I used to be a Democrat until they aligned themselves with Illegal Immigrants and want everything Free, including citizenship without applying for it. This article has nothing to do with that. I was not a Big Giuliani Fan but he was tough on crime. We could use some of that now. This drag queens story time is a waste of money.
Deportations are down under Trump, and he completely failed to build The Great Wall, even after begging Democrats for money and his government shutdown. Why did he align himself with illegal immigrants?
It’s a shame you can’t appreciate drag queens like Giuliani.
How do very young children benefit by being forced to listen to books read by men who insultingly portray women as garish and nightmarish monsters? Just because some gay guy has serious Mommy-women-hate issues doesn’t mean I want my kid exposed to that. How is this even remotely considered respectful and acceptable?
If you think that’s the worst thing your kid might encounter in NYC, you should move to a Republican paradise like Alabama.
“Don’t like it, leave.” So wonderful to hear supposed enlightened people adopting the hate language of our revolting fascist president.
JVB, great job splitting the community. You want a gay role model to look up to? How about Mayor Pete? I hear he’d read a book to kids for a lot less than 25 grand.
Don’t feed the troll. They never post anything on here of actual value and just spend their time flinging lame insults because they’re too insecure to try and post a meaningful reply. Heard they’re also a closeted Trump supporter.
Hey, Who’s posting under my name again? Get your own name.
I am not “fragile” and think this is a ridiculous waste of public money. Almost criminal.
If this hurts your feelings, you’re REALLY gonna freak out if you ever ride the subway.
You might be on to something. I’d actually be much more in favor of drag queens sweeping or mopping the Vernon-Jackson station for $25,000, instead of wasting time confusing little kids in the libraries.
Still waiting for him (Jimmy) to bring back 25K jobs to Western Queens… oh wait… he will never do that!
This is just one example how Democrats will lose in 2020 to Trump. When we stop losing focus on the criminal, treasonous depraved liar in the White House, and throw money at every fringe group in the liberal base, we are sunk.
Our tax dollars hard at work. What a JOKE! Jimmy Van Job Killer when are you going to finish the new library in LIC???
Why the creepy ass whiteface clown make-up? I don’t have an issue with exposing kids to drag and normalizing LGBTQ at an early age, but Jimmy should have the common sense not to scare kids.
If face paint offends you you’re too fragile for this city
This is some seriously sick stuff.
Hope some of that money goes for background checks.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/second-drag-queen-story-hour-library-reader-exposed-as-convicted-child-sex-offender
I hope they start doing background checks on every Catholic priest too!
They aren’t dressed up like your worst nightmare women and paid with taxpayer money to read to kids, but, yeah, OK.
No, they’re just a bunch of grown men that live together and dress up in colorful robes once a week—tax free!
but, yeah, OK
You’re seriously gullible enough to believe that?
This is just another example of how the city wastes money on each council person’s pet projects. This is what is important to Jimmy van job killer and why he should never hold any elected office ever again. Wait until his bike pals and office staff see this to give it 200 thumbs down.
201 at this time lol