Staff Reports
A drag queen in Massachusetts stirred up some controversy when he led children in chanting “Free Palestine” during a story event at the Northampton Center for Arts. The event, dubbed “Queer Storytime for Palestine,” took place on April 14 and was organized by Valley Families for Palestine. The drag queen, known as Lil Miss Hot Mess, donned a sparkly red dress and a green boa while reading a book called “If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It.” The event also included activities centered around queer heroes and celebrated Palestinian culture.
Unsurprisingly, the moment that caught the most attention was when Lil Miss Hot Mess encouraged the children to chant “Free Palestine.” He could be heard saying, “If you’re a drag queen and you know it and you really want to show it, if you’re a drag queen and you know it, shout ‘Free Palestine!’” The photos of the event were shared on Instagram, where the drag queen reflected on the joy of the event while lamenting the suffering of Palestinian children.
Drag queens stop demanding direct access to other people's children for ten seconds challenge (Very Hard) https://t.co/ilGZwRjAwM
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 16, 2024
While the event organizers, Valley Families for Palestine, expressed their satisfaction with the event, not everyone was thrilled about the drag queen promoting a political agenda to young children. The organizer said, “We came together today in joy and solidarity and learned some important lessons about being ourselves, using our voices to speak out against injustice, and being fabulous while we do it.” But it seems some people believe that a story hour for preschool and upper elementary school-age children might not be the best platform for political activism.
In the end, it seems like this event managed to stir up quite a bit of controversy. Some people might wonder if it’s appropriate for drag queens to be leading political chants with young children, but others might argue that it’s all in the spirit of promoting social justice. Wherever you stand on the issue, it’s clear that this event has sparked an interesting debate about the intersection of drag culture and political activism.
