Drag pedagogy: The playful practice of queer imagination in early childhood

We argue that the programme creates a pathway into the imaginative, messy, and rule-breaking aspects of drag for children without necessarily watering down queer cultures.

Book selections often include queer and/or trans characters, gender-transgressive themes, or narratives about not fitting in and finding one’s voice. Some translate drag’s penchant for taboo to kids’ ideas of silly topics, like making a mess or potty time (Brooklyn Public Library, n.d.). Occasionally, a queen performs a lip-sync of songs from a children’s film. At many events, organizers invite kids to create their own drag name or study feminist icons using DQSH’s self-published Dragtivity Book (Erlich, 2018). A few cities have expanded programming to include bilingual readings, events geared specifically towards neurodivergent children and others with disabilities, or programmes for teenagers that feature makeup and performance workshops.

I read the whole article, wouldn’t recommend, and, as a teacher myself, it is a bunch of nonsense regarding “queer pedagogy” and an attempt to justify, and probably monetise, their fetish and exposing their fetish to children. The fact that they’re going for the youngest, most vulnerable, impressionable and trusting children speaks volumes, the fact that they aren’t promoting “Drag Queen Physics Time” at high school level is not a mystery, teenagers will see through the creepy dude in a dress schtick in a second.