Why should drag queens read to kids? It's a fabulous way to teach acceptance
Ask any librarian or guest reader who has faced down a group of antsy 3-year-olds at storytime: You need to put on a show.
That's the core of Drag Queen Story Hour, a nationwide phenomenon that's also in Rockland. A series of storytimes led by drag performers starts March 3 at Haverstraw King's Daughters Library, in coordination with the Rockland County Pride Center and supported through a grant by ArtsWestchester, and will include several readings.
Like any good storytime, the events are well-planned with activities during and after the readings to keep little minds engaged, get their energy out and reinforce lessons the stories impart.
Drag Queen Story Hour focuses on books that offer messages about anti-bullying and acceptance.
© Provided by Gannett Co., Inc. Lady Keyonta reads to kids during the Rockland County Pride Center's Drag Queen Story Hour during the Great Nyack Get-Together in Memorial Park in Nyack on Sept. 15, 2018.
"I remember as a child, I didn't have that visibility," Alex Francisco, who performs as Autumn Hues, said during a recent visit to Haverstraw King's Daughters Library in the town of Haverstraw. "I feel like because of that, it took me a lot longer to really accept myself."
'I love being visible'
For most children, Drag Queen Story Hour is simply a fun event that allows little kids to hear stories full of theatrical fun. It also helps kids understand that people who may not be like them, or their "normal," are valuable, potential friends who deserve the same respect as anyone.
For a few, the stories and performance could offer an affirming message of acceptance.
Acceptance can be lifesaving. Gay, lesbian and bisexual youth are more than five times more likely to have attempted suicide than their peers, according to statistics compiled by the Trevor Project. Among transgender youth, 40 percent say they have attempted suicide. Every episode of bullying or harassment significantly increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior, according to the Trevor Project, which provides crisis counseling and suicide prevention for LGBT youth.
Francisco said some children need to know that their experience shouldn't be hidden or framed with shame. "I love being visible. I love being able to be a representation for somebody who may feel like me."
© Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News Alex Francisco, talks about participating in the upcoming Drag Queen Storytime at Haverstraw King's Daughters Library on Feb. 11, 2019. Rockland Pride Center got an ArtsWestchester grant to put on a series of Drag Queen Story Hours in 2019 throughout Rockland
Loren Klein, Rockland County Pride Center's coordinator of Trans and Non Binary Services, said the playfulness captures kids' attention. "Drag performers are larger than life so the kids really respond to that," Klein said. The fun interaction enforces acceptance of all kinds of diversity.
"It does give children role models who are demonstrating gender fluidity," Klein said. "This teaches them to be more accepting of all kinds of difference. That you shouldn't look down on whatever being yourself means to someone."
The storytime achieves direct and long-term benefits for all children.
"Right now, they are just being read to," Francisco said. But hearing a story about acceptance, by a person who may be out of their normal experience, "makes them more well-rounded people."
Local talent
Francisco, a self-described "Haverstraw kid," grew up in North Rockland. The other performers, Jazel Jazalien and Lady Keyonta, have ties to the New York-New Jersey region.
"We try to use local people for everything that we do," Library Director Claudia Depkin said. "We're supporters of local talent."
Connecting the library with local performers was just one way the Rockland Pride Center has been ready to help. The center offers support for parents of children who may be questioning or exploring any part of their identity.
"Sometimes parents don't have the tools to guide their children" through a young person's struggles with identity, Klein said. "If they have a specific question, we'll find a resource for them and try to help." The Pride Center plans to launch a support group for parents of very young children who are "gender creative," Klein said. "We can help parents figure out their game plan."
Francisco plans to read in both English and Spanish, because a large portion of children in the Haverstraw area are bilingual.
"We really tried to pick performers who reflect the local community," Klein said.
© Alexander Lewis, Bridgewater (N.J.) Courier News Rahway, New Jersey: Residents fought against intolerance by showing their support of the Drag Queen Story Hour Aug. 21, 2018, at Rahway Public Library after fliers stuffed in some mailboxes protested the event.
Haverstraw Children's Librarian Cheryl Baker said children's stories help neutralize the kind of bullying that is expressed by picking on the person who is different. Diverse storytimes for young children send the message that "meeting people who are different than me is great."
"I find the kids aren't against anything," Baker said. Sometimes, though, parents are.
Tried before
Back in December, Haverstraw King's Daughters was the first library to host a Drag Queen Story Hour within the Ramapo-Catskill Library System, a network of 47 libraries in Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and southern Ulster counties. Depkin said some RCLS librarians attended to see what it was all about and inquired about the concept for their own libraries.
The concept is relatively new to the Lower Hudson Valley: Westchester's first Drag Queen Story Hour took place last July at Lewisboro Library; New Rochelle Library hosted a story hour last year after the city's Thanksgiving parade.
The Pride Center held its first Drag Queen Story Hours at its 2018 Rockland Pride Sunday, which just marked its 20th year last June. About 150 people sat for storytime, Klein said. Kids sat with rapt attention, Klein said. "Parents were so enthusiastic."
The Pride Center also hosted storytime at the Great Nyack Get-Together, held last September in Memorial Park. "We had great feedback," Klein said.
Depkin said Drag Queen Story Hour events fit any library's overall mission. "The library is for everybody and it's a safe place for everybody."
Haverstraw's December story time was popular, Depkin said. "Everybody had a really good time," Depkin said. "We did have some questions from the public beforehand." While there were threats of protest, those didn't materialize.
When the library started planning for more Drag Queen Story Hour performances, Depkin said, "The Pride Center said, 'we can help you with this.' "
Francisco thoroughly enjoyed reading to kids at June's Pride Day. "They were so chill," Francisco said. "They kind of like take everything in without judgment."
When, where, support
The following Drag Queen Story Hour performances are planned:
If a parent is seeking further information or has questions about LGBT youth issues, the Rockland County Pride Center offers support. Call 845-353-6300.
Drag Queen Story Hour, a New York City-based nonprofit, offers detailed descriptions of events, training guides and book suggestions on its website, draqueenstoryhour.org.
Twitter: @nancyrockland
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Why should drag queens read to kids? It's a fabulous way to teach acceptance
NBL Awards: Andrew Bogut cops heat for teammate's acceptance speech after winning Best Defensive Player
Sydney Kings centre Andrew Bogut has copped flak after teammate Dane Pineau gave the acceptance speech for Bogut's Best Defensive Player award at Sunday night's NBL Awards.
Pineau made his way to the stage after Bogut was announced as the winner, proceeding to give a light-hearted speech that he said his star teammate had 'written', mostly poking fun at the former NBA star.
"It's great to have all the players here, even Jack McVeigh and Harry Froling, it's great to see you guys here," Pineau said.
"People come up to me all the time and they say 'Bogart, how do you do it?' and to those people, I say 'shut up, I ask the questions around here. If you wanna talk to me, you send me a tweet.'
"It's incredible to get this award, it means not only am I a really good defensive player, I'm the best defensive player in the whole league."
He also poked fun at Bogut's ill-fated stint at Cleveland in the NBA where he broke his leg on his debut and never played another game for them.
Check out the video below.
While Bogut and Pineau probably saw it as a bit of fun between teammates, plenty of viewers labelled it disrespectful.
The big man was then asked about the speech in an interview later in the night.
"I didn't think he was really gonna do it, but he did it," Bogut said.
"It looks like it's getting some traction on social media, so Dane's pretty happy with himself.
"I don't think the NBL is too happy with me at the moment but we'll kiss and make up later."
Bogut and the Kings begin their three-game semi-final series against Melbourne on Tuesday, February 28.
12 Easiest Nursing Programs with The Highest Acceptance Rates to Get Into
If you are considering getting into nursing school, then you will find this article very useful as we have found the 12 easiest nursing programs with the highest acceptance rates to get into.
With the rapidly increasing patient population and changes to the health care system, there is a constant demand for qualified health care specialists. And, that’s why nowadays universities are feeling the pressure to graduate students who will meet the expectations of the increasingly challenging labor market demands.
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Let’s be honest, nursing can be an advantageous career path for many, but it might not be for everyone. Admission to nursing schools has become highly competitive over the last years. That’s why we saw necessary to make a list of the easiest nursing programs with the highest acceptance rates to get into. Fortunately, there are over 2000 nursing schools in the United States to choose from. The highest concentration of nursing schools is in the state of California with 314. Are you wondering which are the easiest colleges to get into in California? Some of them are Mount St. Mary’s College with an 81% acceptance rate and the California State University-Fresno with a 59% acceptance rate. Read more about these colleges in our article 10 least competitive nursing schools in America.
Grades are a considerable factor in determining your college options. For an average student, colleges with 40-50 percent acceptance rates seem more approachable. Among those are the Ohio State University with 49% acceptance rate and George Washington University with 46%. But just as with other college applications, it’s always important to pay close attention at each school’s admission requirements and prepare the most compelling application you can.
To find the right school, you need time to investigate and research what each school has to offer. If during the research process many schools are a good fit, by all means, apply to them all. The more schools you apply to, the higher the chances of being accepted. While sorting the list of nursing schools, one crucial fact to consider is the tuition cost. Many of the easiest nursing programs with the highest acceptance rates to get into are private schools. The cost of studying in some of them can be very high and being elected for financial aid might not be that easy. But don’t get discouraged, there are plenty of cheap colleges with high acceptance rates. One of them is CUNY Lehman College in Bronx, NY. Its net tuition cost is around $2,237 and has an acceptance rate of 40%. It looks great if you wish to stay in the Big Apple. You can find out more about nursing schools in New York City in our article 7 easiest nursing schools to get into in NYC.
Among other colleges with low tuition costs are other good universities with high acceptance rates such as Texas A&M International University. Its tuition cost is of around $10,176 per year and an acceptance rate is of 67%. Texas A&M is one of the few institutions in the nation to hold the triple designation as a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant university. Another example is Kent State University; its tuition cost is $10,012 per year and it has an acceptance rate of 85%. Kent State University is considered among the nation’s top 80 public research universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
So, don’t get the idea that because a school is less selective that it’s academically less competitive. There are plenty of colleges that are easy to get into but good. For instance, there is the University of Akron; it has an acceptance rate of 93%. This university has a Carnegie high research activity classification. Another example is the Kansas State University in Manhattan with an acceptance rate of 95%. It was named by the Wall Street Journal #12 university in the nation for improving students’ critical thinking skills the most. These colleges can also be considered the easiest nursing schools to get into, and they are prestigious entities that have lots to offer to the students who want to take advantage of their education.
It’s a known fact that American colleges and universities are preferred by international students, because of the level of education that they offer. Over 250 American universities and colleges feature in the top worldwide. That is one of the reasons why the rate of international students in the U. S. is rising year after year, although most of the colleges and universities offer limited vacancies for foreigners. Do you want to find out which are universities with high acceptance rates for international students? One of them is the University of Cincinnati; it offers an acceptance rate of 94% for international students. Another one is Colorado State University with an acceptance rate of 96% for international students. It doesn’t mean that these schools provide an easy admission for international students, as every applicant needs to comply with the curricular demands. However, these universities open a higher number of spots for international students rather than others in the country.
For our list of the 12 easiest nursing programs with the highest acceptance rates to get into we have consulted the rankings for nursing schools with high acceptance rates from College Resource Network. Then, we have narrowed the list using the academic difficulty levels provided by College Simply. Without further ado, we present you our ranking of the 12 easiest nursing programs with the highest acceptance rates to get into:
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