Dressed in Disney-themed clothes and make-up, local drag queens Barbie Q, 29, and Raquelita, 30, will read a story to children about love, family and acceptance on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Chula Vista’s main public library.
Barbie Q and Raquelita asked to be referred to by their performance names citing safety concerns.
Originally Drag Queen Story Time was scheduled to take place at Chula Vista’s Otay Ranch library, but it has been relocated to accommodate an increase in demand.
Barbie Q and Raquelita, who are a couple, are both South Bay natives who work in education. Barbie Q has been doing drag for five years and Raquelita has been doing drag for seven years.
They said each of their journeys through drag have been healing, and DQST is a continuation of the kind of work they want to do — bringing drag to community events with families and normalizing it.
“We were invited by our community because we are qualified, we work in the community and we are role models. We inspire others by embracing who we are,” Barbie Q said.
When doing drag, Raquelita said they always take into consideration the venue and the audience, and will make sure that their first time taking part in DQST is child-friendly.
“It’s about redefining the way that LGBT people are seen because we recognize that because of the way that mass media works and the sort of messages that are sent across to society there’s a lot of stereotypes that sexualize or demonize LGBT people,” Raquelita said. “So for us it’s about trying to counter those stereotypes by giving light to our experiences through a positive lens.”
Last week, a Mass Resistance organizer from Torrance, Arthur Schaper, held a press conference in protest of DQST.
He cited three cases in Texas in which drag queens who read at story hour were previously convicted of sex crimes. One of these cases has been confirmed by The Houston Chronicle and The Houston Public Library.
“When I hear these sort of statements or examples or facts, it makes me think like yes these are generalizations and you can’t define the community based on one person’s experience,” Raquelita said.
At the press conference, some of those protesting alongside the Mass Resistance organizer cited religious reasons for their opposition to DQST. Raquelita said she’s encountered this kind of disapproval before in her personal life.
“I grew up in a culturally Catholic upbringing, and after I came out to my parents, even ten years ago, they kind of looked at religion as a way to justify their rejection of my identity, and of my relationship with my partner… what we’re trying to do here is just give stability to our community to help affirm people that do identify within the LGBT community or who can become allies and supporters and stand up against hate,” Raquelita said.
In response to the backlash DQSH has faced, a “Love Demonstration” is being held by council member and former Chula Vista mayor Steve Padilla in collaboration with San Diego Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays before DQST beginning at 3 p.m. on Sept. 10.
Local organizations that are taking part in the demonstration include South Bay Alliance, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, SD LGBT Center and Trans Family support services.
“Our message will be positive and focused on love and acceptance and support for the storytime goals of promoting creativity, self confidence and the love of reading,” the Facebook event page reads. “Our focus will be on participants and their families, and supporters of the event and not on the protestors.”
Cornelius Johnson is a local freelance drag queen who will be at DQST to show support.
He said there is a lot that the drag queen community does that people don’t see or know about, like The San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s fundraising efforts. According to their website, they’ve granted money to or fundraised with seven different non-profit organizations.
“It’s a little unsettling that people feel that something as simple as reading books to kids is a bad thing, and people are putting their misconceptions into something so simple,” Johnson said.
Both Raquelita and Barbie Q have been fully vetted by the same process that all one-time library performers undergo, according to City of Chula Vista Marketing and Communications Manager Anne Steinberger. They said they both had to undergo background checks for their educational careers.
Through this process, staff checks their references, previous history events and relevant professional affiliations. Like other library events, library staff are present at all times and no physical contact is allowed between performers and attendees.
Volunteers and interns age 18+ who volunteer more than 20 hours per year at the library are required to undergo a thorough background check process, including fingerprinting, according to Steinberger.
“Our real focus should really be about having a safe space for the kids and having them be read a nice book that’s going to help their literacy and just have a good time… they’ll see that queer folk or LGBT folk aren’t that stereotype,” Barbie Q said.
Space is still available at DQST. Those who would like to attend can call (619) 397-5740 to sign up.
