{"id":74782,"date":"2018-10-30T10:29:02","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T14:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/what-having-a-drag-queen-visit-a-middle-school-really-means\/"},"modified":"2018-10-30T10:29:02","modified_gmt":"2018-10-30T14:29:02","slug":"what-having-a-drag-queen-visit-a-middle-school-really-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/what-having-a-drag-queen-visit-a-middle-school-really-means\/","title":{"rendered":"What having a drag queen visit a middle school really means"},"content":{"rendered":"

What having a drag queen visit a middle school really means<\/b><\/p>\n

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A Colorado middle school has come under fire from some parents after inviting a drag queen to read to students at a literary event. The school and many others are supporting the choice.<\/a><\/p>\n

Zachary Sullivan, frequently known by his stage name Jessica L\u2019Whor, is a drag performer and dancer from the Denver, Colorado area. Sullivan was invited by the Rocky Top Middle School faculty to participate in the \u201cRocky Top READS!\u201d event on Oct. 19 at the school in Thornton, Colorado. Sullivan even altered his stage name to \u201cMiss Jessica\u201d for the event, but some parents remain upset.<\/p>\n

A parent identified as Heather Rogers said, \u201cThis person is an adult entertainer and is talking to 12-year-old students about something that\u2019s adult nature,\u201d according to KDVR in Denver.<\/p>\n

However, it has been documented<\/a><\/u> that the art of drag has helped many young people with strength in terms of identity acceptance and understanding of gender.<\/p>\n

Sullivan was asked to come to the event because a student at the school is a fan and made a suggestion to the school\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

School principal Chelsea Behanna sent a letter<\/a><\/u> to all of the school parents to clarify the purpose of the event and defend the message made by Sullivan. Many news outlets have erroneously reported this as a \u201ccareer day\u201d but that is not actually the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe focus of the event was a celebration of literacy and was reflected in the incredibly positive experiences of staff, students and guests throughout the day,\u201d Behanna said in the letter.<\/p>\n

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Sullivan shared about his background in performing arts during middle and high school and talked about his journey to earning a business administration and management degree at Colorado State University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked about how my education, my writing and reading skills that I\u2019ve learned, assisted the career that I am in,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cYes, I did talk about what job I have very briefly but it was not the premise of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

After speaking about how education has helped further his career, Sullivan took questions from the students — allowing them to direct the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe conversation was guided based off of what the students wanted to learn\u2026 so they started asking questions like, \u2018Do I want to transition?\u2019 \u2018How did I come out to my family?\u2019 \u2018How much do things cost?\u2019 and \u2018How do I go out in public the way I do? How do I have the confidence to do that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t help but think back to my own middle school experience and think about what having this experience would have meant to me as a middle school student. Between 6th-8th grade I largely felt alone, confused and also curious about how my sexuality was different from \u201ceveryone else\u2019s.\u201d Having someone like Miss Jessica show up would have opened my eyes to a lot of understanding at a much earlier age.<\/p>\n

Sullivan shared those same sentiments about his own middle school experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it would have completely opened my eyes to a different area of my sexuality that I was starting to think about, but thought I was wrong for feeling,\u201d he said. \u201cI was too scared to come out to my family until just two years ago, because i didn\u2019t understand it as a kid. I grew up thinking it was wrong and that it wasn\u2019t ok. There are so many people who go through those same feelings and feel alienated because they don\u2019t have anyone to relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Jessica L’Whor (@the_l.whor)<\/a> on

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In each of the classrooms that Sullivan visited that day, he had the opportunity to read to the students. The book he read from was Horrible Harry in Room 2B<\/em> which happens to deal with the subject of bullying.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn each classroom, the kids asked me how to deal with bullies and negativity and stuff\u00a0 like that, so it was kind of a coincidence how that worked out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Principal Behanna said in the letter that this book was a good fit for the message that Miss Jessica was able to share with the students.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe used the text to illustrate the damage bullies can do, the need to always put kindness and acceptance at the forefront, and the shortsightedness of judging a book by its cover. Students were completely engaged and asked lots of great questions,\u201d Behanna said.<\/p>\n

While there has been some backlash, Sullivan has received messages of support both within his area and from across the country.<\/p>\n

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My son was definitely impressed with @JessicaLWhor<\/a>‘s makeup technique. But what really stood out to him was that she was kind and genuine and chose a great book to read to them.<\/p>\n

\u2014 AshleyB (@COArmyVet) October 24, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Venus Envy, a Florida educator that also happens to perform as a drag queen, is no stranger to this type of controversy. In light of some recent conflicts, Venus is no longer allowed to use her legal name in conjunction with her drag persona. But, she says that as an educator, she recognizes the importance of providing children with as many possible experiences that they can possibly have.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeaching diversity, self acceptance and the importance of living in harmony with other people regardless if their lifestyle is different from your own, I think there is so much value in that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sullivan thinks there is some irony in the outrage from the parents saying they provide a great example of what bullying actually looks like.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s ironic that these parents are saying I\u2019m \u2018so wrong\u2019 for going in to talk about anti-bullying yet they\u2019re the first ones to send me messages and threats. It\u2019s just completely against what I was there to talk about,\u201d he said. \u201cHow does that represent what they\u2019re teaching their kids?\u201d<\/p>\n

The opportunity to speak at the middle school\u2019s literacy event and the commentary that has followed has inspired Sullivan to find more places for Jessica\u2019s voice to be heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, it\u2019s only given me a kick in the butt<\/a> to find larger outlets and continue to go to schools and do stuff like this,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that it is important for kids to understand acceptance and equality.<\/p>\n

A drag queen is just one example of a person that is not readily welcomed into most public spaces. While privilege allows many of us an \u201cimmediate acceptance\u201d into environments like schools, churches, restaurants and other public spaces, many identities are still consistently rejected.<\/p>\n

Educating the generation ahead of us is the best way to ensure an equitable future. If that means having a drag queen in every classroom, I say, \u201cLet the music play!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Tim Harris is a GLAAD Campus Ambassador <\/strong>and junior at University of New Mexico studying communication and journalism. He is a\u00a0freelance writer and digital marketing professional who aims to inspire progress towards equity with his words for all underrepresented and oppressed groups of people.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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October 30, 2018<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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