New York State, City Paid $200,000 for Drag Queens Reading to Kids at Public Schools, Records Show

People walk along the stairs of the New York Public Library in Manhattan on July 6, 2021. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

New York City and state combined have paid drag performers more than $200,000 for appearances in New York City public schools since 2018, according to a report.

Drag Story Hour NYC, an organization previously known as Drag Queen Story Hour NYC, has received $50,000 from the state’s Council on the Arts, as well as $157,000 from New York City’s departments of Education, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Community Development, and Transportation, according to records obtained by the New York Post.