We are so excited to host our 4th Annual Drag Story Hour with Noelle Diamond on Saturday, June 29th at 2:30 pm! Noelle has been delighting young audiences with age appropriate stories and songs for years. Every year our audience grows bigger and bigger and we are so excited that so many people want to join in on the fun! We’re in love with the fact that Kinderhook now has a Pride Parade that takes place immediately after to keep the celebration going.
We know that there will likely be questions about why this program belongs in a public library. We strive to offer programs for a wide range of interests and Drag Story Hour offers children a way to imagine different forms of gender expression for themselves outside of “boy clothes” and “girl clothes”. Children learn empathy and understanding at a very young age and seeing performers dressed in drag encourages kids to celebrate individuality and differences (and to have fun!).
The facts around LGBTQIA+ youth and self harm are grim at best. Lack of family support and lack of affirming spaces along with bullying contributes to these alarming statistics. Social support and acceptance from adults are literally life saving in many cases and we feel responsible as a community center for being a provider of affirming spaces and as a model of acceptance.