US base to host ‘drag queens’ for children
The families of US troops stationed at the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany will be able to take their children to, a so-called, Drag Queen Story Time next week. The base library has posted the event on its Facebook page, saying it was part of "Pride Month" celebrations.
“We’re celebrating Pride Month at the Ramstein Library with Drag Queen Storytime!” the announcement on the page of Ramstein & Vogelweh Air Force Libraries said on Tuesday. “Join us with special guest reader Stacey Teed! Be sure to wear your brightest and most colorful outfits!”
The event is scheduled for June 2, and is distinct from the regular story time for military children, hosted by the Vogelweh library in nearby Kaiserslautern.
“I find it wholly inappropriate that the military, of all places, will be using public funds to sexualize children,” one woman, whose husband is reportedly stationed at Ramstein, told the Post Millennial on Tuesday. She said she was “shocked to see the Ramstein Air Force Base Library plans to hold an official drag queen story hour for children.”
Ramstein is a massive US military base in southern Germany, serving as the headquarters of the US Air Force in Europe, Africa and the NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM). The Post Millennial said it reached out to officials for comment, but has yet to hear back.
Last year, the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada held a drag performance – which the base defended as “an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the history and significance of drag performance art within the LGBT+ community,” when called out by the conservative-leaning Breitbart News.
“Ensuring our ranks reflect and are inclusive of the American people is essential to the morale, cohesion, and readiness of the military,” a Nellis spokesperson told Breitbart. However, that show was aimed at adults, not children.
According to the Post Millennial, the Ramstein library held a similar event in 2021, featuring a woman dressed as a man. The current US government has encouraged Pride celebrations by diplomats and the military, starting last year.
Drag Queen Story Hour was started in 2015 by LGBT activists in San Francisco and Canada, seeking to make the library readings “more inclusive and affirming.” The practice has been criticized by social conservatives as inappropriate sexual grooming of children.
