A friend named Meryl Azar and I were walking back to our cars at the end of the last protest at the drag story hour at the Santa Rosa downtown library when we were approached by two gray-haired women. The women asked us why we were there protesting and what we hoped to accomplish by being there.
Azar answered: “This is not about our protesting gay rights. I have a lot of gay friends. This is about young children being influenced by persuasive role models.”
I added, “We want parents to realize that there is an agenda behind these drag story hours.”
One of the women, who said her name was Charlie (the other did not want to give her name), replied: “There is no agenda; this is just a fun time for kids to come and hear cute stories, to sing and dance. What do you mean by an agenda?”
I answered: “The drag king or queen always [reads] stories and [teaches] songs that support trans people and their lifestyle. There is no other choice of books; that is what we mean by agenda. They are teaching the children that trans people are really fun and nice and maybe they would like to be like them someday. They also plant the thought in their minds that some children are born in the wrong body. That is what is meant by ‘grooming’ little children.”
Charlie said, “Why don’t we see what was read to the children today and what happened to see if you are correct?”
We walked over to where a mother and her young son were coming out of the library. Charlie asked the mother, “Would you mind if your son tells this lady what stories he just heard?”
The mother answered, “Sure,” and her son told us, “Well, the man first read from a book about two worms who get married.”
I replied, “Yes, I am familiar with that book.”
The little boy continued, “Then he read a book about a drag queen whose hips go swish, swish, swish, and we all stood up and danced with our hips doing the same.”
I said, “Yes, it’s to the music of the children’s song ‘The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.’”
The little boy added, “And the rest of the time we did other dances and sang songs.”
I asked, “Was it fun, and would you like to come to another story hour?”
He answered enthusiastically, “Oh, yes!”
We thanked him and his mother, and they went on their way.
I then told Charlie and her partner: “See, that is what we mean by an agenda. The book that was read about the worms getting married is about two transgender worms. Worms are naturally transgender. That is how they were created; they are both male and female. They reproduce by lying side by side. That book was read to make the children think that being transgender is perfectly normal.”
I added, “The second book about the drag queen’s hips going swish, swish, swish—that is the version that the little boy will probably always remember now when he sings the children’s song ‘The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.’ That is a song that they often sing in preschool, kindergarten, at summer camps, etc. He will probably want to teach the new version to the other kids as well.”
Charlie said she understood now what I meant by agenda. She said that she and her partner were lesbians. They had been able to raise three children who turned out straight and are now happily married with children of their own, so maybe the pro-trans agenda will not stick, and these children will not have to get involved in a lifestyle where they have their bodies marred for life.
Azar and I thanked them for being so open and talking to us. They were also some of the few people we met at these protest rallies who were willing to take the handout that I gave them about the history, the purpose, and where the funding is coming from to support the drag story hours.
I have the impression that the gay community is not too thrilled with the transgender one.
Azar, who is a health and economic advisor and works with many different kinds of people in Sonoma County, told me the following: “Some in the LGBTQ+ community don’t like the trans group. They believe the trans people are hiding behind the LGB acronym as a shield and a cover for their message and plight. Many gays think the T (trans) and the Q (queer) should be removed from the alphabet soup lineup and let them go on their own.”
Azar added: “We all need to focus on the bigger picture—the harmful health effects and the permanent side effects that hormones and steroid use can cause as the trans group promote permanent gender transition. We need to address the risks and the irreversible permanent damage that gender affirming surgeries can do.”
She said: “We need to raise awareness in regard to the financial gains that the medical and pharmaceutical companies are benefitting from. It’s a guaranteed high-income revenue stream for anyone who is involved in the transgender industry. Even the makeup artists who offer their services to the transgender community are benefitting greatly from charging lots of money for their services.”
