Drag Queen Drama
Kirk Penner is right.
by Sue Greenwald, MD
For people trying to understand the meaning of “Woke”, this is a brief primer. Woke is a shorthand description of people who hold the beliefs of critical theory. Namely, the firmly held conviction that every concept requires a victim. Further, because there are always victims, the “system” must be destroyed. Woke people use the word “hater” to describe anyone who disagrees with this nihilistic world view. Woke white women have used the words “hate” or “hater” so much during this years’s legislative session in Nebraska, the practice almost deserves it’s own chapter in Robert’s Rules of Order.
Woke Explained
Examples of the Woke “Concept and Victim” mental gymnastics are as follows:
Concept: Perhaps a trained attack dog would not be the best choice for a family pet.
Victim: You Hate Puppies
Concept: Perhaps teaching children they should distrust those of a different skin color and despise the history of their nation is not the best way to set them up for success.
Victim: You Hate Teachers
Concept: Perhaps taking children to a strip club is prohibited because of the prurient nature of the entertainment.
Victim: You Hate Dancers
Concept: Perhaps introducing gender fluidity to children who are not yet old enough to understand the concept of gender permanence will alter their brain development in ways that we don’t yet comprehend.
Victim: You Hate Trans People
Concept: Perhaps taking children to a “drag show” should be prohibited if the entertainment is of a prurient nature.
Victim: You Hate Drag Queens
Gender Fluidity- It’s Not For Everyone
Putting all that victimology aside, there are things we know and things we don’t know about “gender fluidity.”
We know from researcher Lawrence Kolberg that Gender Awareness (understanding that you are a boy or girl) starts at age 3 to 4, and Gender Constancy (knowing that gender is unchanging) starts at age 7. His research is cited by multiple sources who study the topic.
We know multiple studies done before the advent of readily available puberty blockers and hormones indicate that the vast majority of gender dysphoric children will be accepting of their gender if they are allowed to complete puberty without interference.
We know the UK has been ahead of the US in both research and treatment of transgender, and lately they have been backing off. The heralded “gender-affirming” Tavistock clinic in London was closed in August of 2022 when lawsuits and evaluations showed that 98% of children who start puberty blockers will progress to cross-sex hormones, that 35% of transgendered youth were also autistic, and that puberty blockers along with cross-sex hormones had a range of serious medical complications, including sterility.
Given what we know about gender dysphoria, it is hard to understand why teachers and librarians who are competing to be “inclusive” are trying to convince the children under their influence that they have it.
Transgender Grooming
We don’t know what it does to young minds if they are convinced prior to age 7 that they can choose their gender. Based on the fact the CDC says trans-identifying youth doubled from 2017 to 2020, we are starting to get an idea.
Children are clearly being groomed to be transgender.
Why does this manic intensity exist regarding “Drag Queen Story Hour” and “Drag Shows” all of a sudden? Where did that come from? Why aren’t we having First Responder story hour, or Nurse story hour, or Construction Worker story hour? Nothing is accidental. Just go to the source: DragStoryHour.org
What is Drag Story Hour?
It’s just what it sounds like! Storytellers using the art of drag to read books to kids in libraries, schools, and bookstores.
Drag Story Hour captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models.
In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves!
This entire movement presumes that children should be gender fluid and have queer role models. It also presumes that who they are, biologically, is not their authentic selves. Somehow, convincing young kids that they’re not good enough the way they are is considered “inclusive.” Can we agree this is not psycholologically healthy?
Can we agree that convincing young kids they are “gender fluid” is not in their best interests?
So again one must ask, why is creating “gender fluidity” in impressionable children such an obsession with many librarians and teachers? What do they gain?
Teacher of the Year vs. State Board Member
This leads us to the kerfuffle between Kirk Penner and the Teacher of the Year 2023.
The Teacher of the Year represents Nebraska at the National Teacher of the Year Program, participates in workshops and local school programs, and speaks at various engagements throughout the year. He or she spends a week being recognized in Washington,D.C., a week at Space Camp, a week at a Next Steps Conference and three days at a Forum on Educational Policy. It’s kind of a big deal. (Nominate your favorite teacher Here.)
So when Nebraska’s 2023 Teacher of the Year posted this (as tweeted by the Nebraska Freedom Coalition):
Kirk Penner, District 5 Representative on the State Board of Education, noticed. Then he reacted.
Penner Does His Homework
Penner did his research and sent a press release to the Omaha World Herald, which of course, they did not publish.
Drag Queen Story Hour has no place in education. Harris Kornstein is a queer theorist, a drag queen (“Lil Hot Mess”), a board member of Drag Queen Story Hour, and the author of the children’s book “The Hips on the Drag Queen go Swish, Swish, Swish”
In his article “Drag Pedagogy: The Playful Practice of Queer Imagination in Early Childhood”, Kornstein admits the goal of Drag Queen Story Hour is to disrupt the binary between men and women, disrupt the nuclear family, disrupt monogamous marriage, and introduce queer pleasure and desire to children.
—Kirk Penner, Nebraska Board of Education
Lovely, the very definition of grooming. Penner’s statement continues:
After attending a Drag Queen Story Hour talk at a Texas Education conference, our current NDE Teacher of the Year stated: “You better believe I will buying a few new inclusive children’s books- including “The Hips on the Drag Queen go Swish, Swish, Swish.”
We have thousands of great educators in Nebraska and hundreds of great school districts that would never bring this book into their classrooms because it is inappropriate for children. Drag Queen Story Hour sexualizes our children.
—Kirk Penner, Nebraska Board of Education
Then this happened:
Woke Teacher Doubles Down
Concept: Perhaps the teacher representing our state, all across the nation, should not be promulgating a fad meant to “disrupt the nuclear family, disrupt monogamous marriage, and introduce queer pleasure and desire to children.” Perhaps this is not in the best interests of our children, and misrepresents our state’s educators.
Victim: You Hate the Teacher of the Year
The real world translation of this concept/victim dynamic looks like this:
Kirk Penner: “What in the world is going on! There is NO REASON this should be part of any educational conference and should NEVER be hyped by the teacher of the year!”
Teacher of the Year: “Kirk Penner is teaching Nebraskans that it is OK to bully, harrass, and spread lies about people who do not share the same opinion as you.”
Curious… what lies did he spread?
Was the teacher bullied as she says? She has taken on a public role and is a representative of educators across Nebraska. Therefore, she bears some scrutiny. She could have reflected upon Penner’s concerns, and responded thoughtfully. Instead, when given the chance to re-examine her stance, the Teacher of the Year doubled down. She remains a proponent of trans-ing the kids in the name of inclusion.
The author is a retired Pediatrician and a co-founder of the Protect Nebraska Children Coalition.