Push for councils to host more drag queen story time events in NSW

Drag queen story hours have become a flashpoint in the culture wars, with some objecting to “men in woman-face” reading to small children - but it’s likely NSW councils will host more.

Controversial drag queen story hour sessions for children will be promoted in NSW councils after a local government conference passed a motion in support of them.

The “Support for Drag Story Time Events in Local Government” motion was passed by a majority of delegates at the annual conference held at Rosehill in Sydney earlier this week.

It was put forward by City of Sydney Council with the motion instructing the peak body for local councils, Local Government NSW, to support “councils to facilitate community-driven safety solutions to ensure that drag story time and similar events can take place at council facilities safely for performers and attendees”.

The motion also called for councils to ensure that drag performers receive payments in full for events that are cancelled.

The conference also passed a motion by Parramatta Council to require all new toilets and change-rooms in parks and playing fields in NSW be “gender neutral”.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore pictured with drag queens on the steps of the Sydney Opera House - her council put forward a successful motion to promote drag queen story time. Picture: Damian Shaw.

Drag queen story hours have become the subject of protests by Christian and family groups, and gender critical feminists in recent times, with events being cancelled.

Not all councils from NSW were happy with plan to promote drag queen storytelling to children, with Snowy Valleys Councillor John Larter saying many country councillors were not in favour.

A drag queen story time eventfeatured at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium - councils are now likely to host more such events.

He asked why the performers were not offering to read stories to nursing home residents instead of small children.

“It’s inappropriate indoctrination of young children,” he said. “People from the country are not supporting this - there’s a big disconnect here.”

Binary Australia’s Kirralie Smith said it was not appropriate for councils to spend rate payer dollars on the “promotion of sexual identities or sexual orientations aimed at children”.

“Nothing ‘sexual’ should ever be promoted to children,” she said.

“Drag Queens are male performers making a mockery of hypersexualised female stereotypes.

“If adults want to watch them perform they can do so at adult bars and clubs.”

NSW Upper House Liberal Democrat John Ruddick said the annual conference voted for the drag time performances - yet voted 90 per cent against the State Government holding a Covid Royal Commission.

Binary director Kirralie Smith says ratepayers should not have to promote drag queen story time.

Manly Library earlier this year, where concerned families were protesting a Drag Queen Story Time. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

“Drag time stuff more important than learning from the mistakes made during the Covid hysteria,” he said.

Women’s Forum Research Fellow Stephanie Bastiaan said activist councillors and bureaucrats “should stop wasting ratepayer’s money promoting drag culture to children”.

“As a mother of daughters, I personally wouldn’t want my children to be entertained by men in womanface and I wouldn’t want my rates to paying for it either.”

Asked about the concerns expressed by feminists and religious groups over drag time story hour, Sydney City ALP councillor Linda Scott, who backed the motion, said librarians, performers and the public had faced threats of violence associated with “local government events that support children’s literacy”.

“Local government libraries are safe places of learning and fun, and as a Labor councillor I am committed to supporting their wonderful community activities, including drag queen story times.”

Protests outside Manly Library at a "Drag Queen Story Time", earlier this year. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

The Women’s Forum advocacy group was also concerned about removing women’s toilets - saying it put women and children at risk and that Parramatta was home to a diverse community, some of whom do not permit women to share private spaces with men.

“The removal of single sex spaces would exclude members from those communities from using the facilities at all,” Ms Bastiaan said.

A City of Parramatta spokesman said moving to gender neutral toilets and change facilities was about ensuring enough facilities for women’s sport at local venues and fields.

“This includes new toilet facilities and change rooms being gender neutral and having the capacity to be used by either male or female sporting teams (not operating as shared facilities),” he said.