Queer people have long been the target of hateful legislation, and according to GLAAD, approximately 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in the US so far this year. Most recently, Tennessee became the first state to officially ban drag performances in public or anywhere children may be present.
Although the news is extremely deflating for the community, a recently resurfaced video from three years ago has served as a potent reminder that children most certainly do not need to be protected from drag. In fact, they’re just fine with it.
In case you missed it… The wonderful people at @Channel4 sent me back to school to ask kids how they feel about drag. Me, a gay man talking to kids and God didn’t turn up and send us all to hell!! She must be busy.
Have a watch!
❤️❤️https://t.co/eTiDbyaxyj— Reuben R Kaye (@ReubenKaye) December 8, 2019
The video is from Reuben Kaye’s Channel 4 show, The Project, and sees him dressed up in drag whilst talking to school children. While they may have been a bit confused at first, what happens throughout each of their conversations is truly beautiful.
Kaye opened up about how it was his first time back in a school environment ever since he left Australia and that his days as a student were very hard for him, explaining, “I’ve been dressing up like this since I was your age.”
He asked the kids he spoke with questions such as, “Do you think I look normal?”, “Do you like what I’m wearing today?” and “What do you think about men who wear makeup?”
Their responses are refreshing and inspiring, with comments such as “At least you actually have the guts to do things (that) other people can’t”, “You just gotta be you”, “If I was there, I would have helped you” and “I feel like everyone should be who they want to be and people shouldn’t tell them what to do”.
The video is a glistening reminder that young people are much more open-minded and accepting than we might give them credit for. It suggests that hate is not something that one is born with but rather taught, and the politicians enforcing anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-drag legislation can certainly learn a thing or two from these kids, that’s for sure.
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