Inside Jackson Heights’ Drag Queen Story Hour

Drag queen Angel Elektra reads to a packed room during Drag Queen Story Hour. Eagle photo by Victoria Merlino

By Victoria Merlino

“The hair on the drag queen gets bigger and bigger” a packed room of children sang to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus” in the Queens Public Library’s Jackson Heights branch, as Drag Queen Story Hour got off to a rousing start on Thursday. 

“Yassss. You all made it to your first drag show today,” said drag queen Angel Elektra, the children’s storyteller for the hour, as the song finished and parents applauded. 

Drag Queen Story Hour, a worldwide program that facilitates drag queens reading books to children to promote diversity and self-expression, prompted bigotry in Brooklyn, where protesters denounced the events at libraries Gerritsen Beach and Crown Heights branches. In Jackson Heights, however, storytime went on without prejudice. 

“Does anyone know what a drag queen is?” Elektra asked the kids. Only one ventured a response.

“Anyone can be a drag queen,” Elektra continued. “You can be a drag queen, you can be a drag queen. Drag queen is when you dress up as your favorite character. So today I’m dressed up like my mom, but I’m wearing my grandmother’s hair. Two of my favorite characters.”

Elektra was assisted by Councilmembers Daniel Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer, who helped read books, including author Todd Parr’s “It’s Okay to Be Different.” 

Librarian Anne Saidman told the Eagle that the library has been running the Drag Queen Story Hour program for a couple of years, and has never seen any protesters or issues. She said she thinks that since the Jackson Heights neighborhood is more diverse, it is more welcoming than other insular places.

Astoria parent Julia LoFaso said that she took her daughter to the storytime after seeing an advertisement on Van Bramer’s Instagram, and said that her daughter was really excited.  

“I thought it was great,” LoFaso said.

The Queens Public Library received an additional $33 million in funding in New York City’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget this past June, which enables it to help fund events like Drag Queen Story Hour. The budget increase marked one of the biggest investments ever into the city’s libraries.

“We are the last truly open democractic institution,” QPL President Dennis Walcott told the Eagle at the time. “Anybody can come through our door, we don’t discriminate, we don’t ask you for any type of ID to come in our doors. No matter what your background may be, your sexual persuasion, your religion, ethnicity, race — doesn’t matter. You are always welcome to a library.”