LGBT FOR KIDS: Nikki Champagne, left, and Emoji Nightmare are drag queens in Vermont who perform story time for children at public libraries all over the state, including in Montpelier on Saturday.
MONTPELIER — For the second year in a row, the Kellogg-Hubbard Library hosted a drag queen story hour for the public. This time more than 100 people attended, mostly with their children of young ages.
The two drag queens leading the event were Nikki Champagne and Emoji Nightmare. They requested that True North Reports not publish their real names.
Dressed in outfits that resembled clown attire, the two performers sang songs and read books, much like one would expect from ordinary story time at a local library. Similar events around the country have stirred up opposition, but Saturday’s hourlong event in Vermont took place without controversy.
Among those attendees who applauded the event was Anne Charles, of Montpelier, who hosts “All Things LGBTQ” on Orca Media.
“We’ve been LGBTQ activists for half of our lives, and we think that what Nikki and Emoji are doing is wonderful,” she said. “It provides children access to different ways of life and it promotes acceptance.”
She added that she doesn’t see anything inappropriate about it.
“Oh absolutely not. It’s just stories about acceptance,” she said.
Carolyn Brennan, the library’s co-director, said she was very pleased with the high turnout.
“This year we have standing-room-only and people are even outside the doors,” she said.
Brennan said the library did receive calls in opposition to the story time ahead of the event, but that most calls came from outside Vermont.
“We got a lot of calls from folks out of state and we’ve had two confirmed local callers,” she said. “Everyone else I believe was from pretty far afield.”
Regarding those who express concern about drag queen story readings around the country, Brennan said people shouldn’t judge others.
“I think there is a lot of misinformation being spread about the nature of a drag queen story hour, and I think that we shouldn’t judge people based on how they dress,” she said. “I think that people should be able to represent themselves to the world in any way that makes them feel comfortable and happy.”
Drag queen Nikki Champagne told True North she appreciates all perspectives, and said everyone is free to participate or not.
“That would be my ask: to come to a drag queen story hour,” Champagne said. “Or, don’t even come to a drag queen story hour, attend a story hour in general. They happen every single weekend at libraries across our nation.
“What is beautiful about a drag queen story hour is allowing and [showing] folks from the LGTBQ community that they are also welcomed in this space and can be attending events that straight and [single-gender] people have been attending for years.”
Champaign also said while part of the event is about acceptance, it’s also about entertainment.
“When the children come to see a drag queen story hour what they see are two fabulous storybook characters coming to life and reading in a very animated fashion,” she said. “I don’t think they are thinking about gender or sexuality when they are coming into these spaces.”
“Fancy Nancy” book read during story hour
One of the books read was “Fancy Nancy” by Jane O’Connor, a story about a young girl who can’t stand to dress ordinary, so she’s constantly looking for more exotic outfits and accessories to spice up her image. The story has been adapted for TV, musicals, toys and even a Nintendo video game.
Outside the event activists held banners in support of the event, but those who were opposed didn’t show up to protest.
Controversy about the program hit a fevered pitch nationally in April when two drag queens participating in the program in Houston were found to have been child sex offenders.
At the start of the reading, one member of the audience spoke up to the entire crowd to say that True North Reports was covering the event. The motive of the impromptu outburst was unclear.
Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North Reports. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.
Just on the off chance that there may be a connection
https://www.stephensofbennington.com/
I think I know where I WON’T BE GOING, should I be in the market for a new Jeep.
I just can’t understand all of the hateful comments here. Why does it matter so much to others who people are attracted to, our what clothing they want to wear? Nobody is recruiting kids into an “alternative” lifestyle. There’s no assault on your family values. It was a storytime, nobody was talking about sex! Why can’t people just live and let live and be respectful of everyone?
Biskit,
It’s called Indoctrination when you have kids attending the storytelling
by “Cross Dressers ” Men dressing up as ” Flamboyant Females ” do
you think this is normal ??………Wow !!
CHenry, The definition of indoctrination is to teach to accept uncritically. I think many should be taught to accept & be uncritical! I also think there is no “normal”.
In other words your comments support his claim, “there is no normal”, ” can’t understand all the comments” we must basically accept this without question and embrace it otherwise we are bad.
Some might consider that indoctrination.
Meanwhile nobody protested the event they peacefully let them do their thing. Which is very different experience say, of a conservative,respected speaker coming onto a college campus to protests, fights and burning stuff.
Are these how they dress every day? If so, ok. I highly doubt they do, and if so they are not there for acceptance, but promotion. Meanwhile if we dress up for Halloween we are appropriating or offending someone by dress up.
There is nothing new under the sun, many of my friends think they are on the cutting edge of sexuality, like promoting this, it’s as old as mankind, thousands of years old at a minimum. Some paths we choose just make life more difficult than it needs to be.
Sometimes, many times, we create our own suffering. Nature, biology and the divine are often in agreement, many are stating and supporting the obvious.
Pure satanism in action, and indoctrination of our children with the full consent & involvement of government.
I was born in this state 81 years ago, seen many changes both good and bad but this is nothing more than an embarrassment.
Michael, another great story. Perhaps they were very excited to see a real reporter! Well done, informational, you allow the readers to draw there own conclusions. Well done.
can you say “INDOCTRINATION”
Sicko’s. The attack on healthy family values and the assaultive nature of the freaking clowns is just way too much. For Gods sake somebody defend the children at least!
This is disgusting. What will the Lib/Prog/D3ms come up with next??? Hey, how about trans a gender day when each student can choose. How about boys wearing skirts ane girls wearing long pants? Undecided? Pays your money and take your choise.
These drag queens are sick. They are an aberration. Children should NOT be subjected to this debasement of normality.
Best comment yet.
I don’t have any problem with drag queens or anybody’s choice on their sexual preferences. I do however have a tremendous problem with involving children into the mix.
I believe in each their own until you start pushing your preferences on me or innocent children.
Children can’t make a decision on what games they want to play or what they want to do on their i -phones, etc etc, much less being put in a position about sexual preferences.
Let kids be kids and keep them out of it especially any child under 15 years old.
You wonder why there are more suicides among the younger generation. You are confusing them so bad that they don’t know which way is up..
The parents of these innocent children would be considered good Germans in the 30s.
So wonderful that Kellogg-Hubbard Library did not crumble to the pressure of the hate-mongers who called for the cancellation of this extremely fun event! Great message to the kids about acceptance. Bravo Nikki and Emoji and Kellogg-Hubbard staff.
eat it all, and then, eat it again.
So you are in tune with and support immoral behaviors. You just might be an example of what is wrong with liberals.
Edward, I support freedom and choices, inclusion and equality, respect and kindness.
It’s not about freedom of choice, it’s about screwing with childrens’ minds, so they will be confused, and accept the transgender agenda, which is sick and disgusting, and psychological warfare, in a world where men dressed as women can compete and win against girls in sports, and boys can hang out in the girls’ locker rooms, as long as they pretend they think they are girls.
It is evil, not harmless, you psycho troll, bisquick.
Kids who have gender changing operations before they are old enough to realize it was a mistake have a high suicide rate. It is not harmless. It is evil.
Gordon, If anyone is trolling here, it is you. You are not respectful or mature enough to not resort to childish name-calling to have a civil discussion with. Perhaps you have learned this behavior from our President? Another hateful, close-minded individual. As for the actual issue in the original article; the agenda at the library that day was reading storybooks promoting equality and kindness and having fun.
Don’t fall for it, Gordon. The half-baked biskit troll engages in the very name calling he accuses others of while masking it with his preachy condescension. Sooner or later “it” will become liberal-puked-out dehydrated, dry up, and blow away.
Meanwhile, enjoy the delicious lapses of “its” grasp of basic English grammar during “its” constant pratings.
crankyoldgeezer (the name fits) You do know you are the definition of a bully and a troll, right? I know, I know, you baited me again! Congrats.
The two ” drag queens ” leading the event as Nikki Champagne and Emoji Nightmare,
at least they stated the truth ” Drag Queens ” and not stating the made-up term that all
liberals use ” Transgender”.
As stated in this article, 100+ attended with there children, I assume since these two wanted
their real names withheld and used their stage names this is all a flamboyant act !!
These Drag Queens, at least they know it was a show, I’m still not sure but since it involved
children, it all about an agenda ……start’em young !!………… Pretty sad.
This is another attempt to desensitize young children and adults to their perverted life style in order to make it easier to recruit them into it.
Exactly.
I wonder how groups would receive a reading hour with the discussion of people giving up certain lifestyles to follow God’s intended plans?
What about a radical idea of waiting until your honey moon? What about an open exchange of ideas, since “since sex and gender are fluid” an open discussion about the pro’s and cons…….
Seems a bit pre,mature for kids who can’t read themselves no? How is sexuality such a major topic for children who aren’t even reading themselves? Interesting times
P