‘Kids love drag’: Drag queen icon Shane Zenek on storytime scandal

Famous Aussie drag queen Courtney Act went on The Project to defend drag queen storytime saying children loved people dressed in drag.

After weeks of drag queen storytime events being cancelled over abuse and threats one of Australia’s most famous drag queens has issued an emotional tribute to those under attack.

Shane Jenek, better known under the stage name Courtney Act toldThe Project that he recognised it was a difficult time for the “queer community when we are being discussed like this”.

“But to love someone of the same gender or express your gender differently means you have to step outside the status quo and understand something of yourself,” he said.

“That is such a strength.

“Queer people are hear to save the world, to show we can think differently about the old decaying systems and we can make them better and celebrate that diversity.”

Jenek said that drag queen storytime started with altruistic motives.

“It was for rainbow families so they could take their kids somewhere to spark the joy of reading and learning and imagination,” he said.

Shane Jenek, better known as Courtney Act.

Courtney Act defends drag story time. Picture: Nigel Wright

“To have these extremist groups, a small number of people, make threats of violence against libraries and councils is a really disappointing thing.”

Drag queen storytime events have been cancelled throughout the country over the past few weeks due to abuse and threats from those who oppose them, including, but not limited to, far-right and fringe conspiracy groups.

Jenek urged those in the queer community to contextualise the attacks citing his own experience on Play School.

“Overwhelmingly everybody was resoundingly lovely but it was like one person in real life … one person in the senate estimates … like two people on Twitter had something to say about it,” he said, before calling on on the federal government to introduce anti vilification laws and show “some leadership”.

Victorian parliament hosts drag story time

Earlier this week, the Victorian government quietly invited five performers caught up in the cancellations to speak at “the safest place in Victoria, the parliament itself” for a drag queen story time.

The event held on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), with Equality Minister Harriet Shing saying it was “small hateful minority” that had targeted drag events at local councils in recent weeks, and those who have campaigned against trans rights.

Drag Queen Sam T reads a story book called my Shadow is Pink to some children, Premier Dan Andrew and parliament staff. Picture: David Caird

Drag Queens story time reading at Parliament House for IDAHOBIT Day. Picture: David Caird

“We will never, ever let a small, hate-filled rabble take away from our joy, our pride, our dignity and our wellbeing,” she said.

The event at parliament took place on the same day as a drag story event was planned at Eltham Library, hosted by Nillumbik council in the city’s outer north.

The event was, like others in Monash and Casey before it, cancelled on Monday and shifted to an online event.

Drag performer Frock Hudson was the slated guest reader for the Eltham event, and was one of a number of drag performers invited to read at parliament instead.

She told The Project she had been “harassed online, like you wouldn’t believe, with multiple tweets, multiple private messages, multiple emails, I’ve actually just stopped looking at it if I’m really honest, it has been really horrible”.

Shocking footage

In April shocking footage captured the moment a Melbourne council meeting erupted into chaos over a drag queen story-time event.

Hundreds of protesters flooded a City of Monash council meeting ahead of discussions over a children’s story time event scheduled to be hosted at a local library next month.

Police officers were used to control the clashing protesters after members of the anti-drag camp started yelling abuse at the pro-drag and LGBTQIA+ community supporters.

Monash resident Gregory Storer said he felt safe until protesters from the anti-drag camp started yelling and banging on a glass wall.

“The vile language and rhetoric being used was offensive and quite intimidating,” he said.

Mr Storer moved from the gallery to stand between police officers in the hope he would be more safe.

When he returned to his seat after asking the council about their safe children policy he claimed he was met with more verbal abuse from the crowd.

“I heard people calling me a ‘f**got’, ’groomer’ and ‘pedo’,” he said.

His husband Michael Barnett filmed the meeting and captured some of the wild scenes as protesters screamed across the room.

“It was tense from the outset,” he said.

-with Madeleine Achenza, NCA Newswire