This drag show grant for Whatcom Middle School draws criticism on conservative media
National conservative media is again targeting Bellingham Public Schools over its efforts to foster equity, diversity and inclusion in its teaching — this time over a proposed drag show at Whatcom Middle School.
But so far, school staff and officials aren’t seeing the same kind of harassment that followed a parent’s complaint last year about a picture book read in class that featured a transgender girl, a school official said.
“Like all events in our schools, policies and practices ensure the drag/talent show will be behaviorally appropriate,” Bellingham schools spokeswoman Dana Smith told The Bellingham Herald.
At issue is the Drop Dead Gorgeous Drag Show being planned by the Gender Sexuality Alliance, a school club that’s part of a nationwide organization that aims to promote tolerance and fight discrimination against gender non-conforming, sexually fluid or non-binary students.
The school club received a $2,000 grant to produce the event from the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation, which is the district’s nonprofit partner, Smith told The Herald in an email.
It was part of the foundation’s Think BIG Challenge held in March.
“The school district did not organize the event nor the funding,” Smith said.
No date has been set for the event, but it was recently criticized by Jason Rantz on his KTTH-AM radio show in Seattle and featured at NewsMax, a conservative online site.
KTTH radio is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints and NewsMax is owned by far-right journalist Christopher Ruddy, best known for his conspiracy claims about the 1993 suicide of Clinton aide Vince Foster.
Whatcom Youth Pride — which is sponsoring a June 4 parade and festival to celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture — told The Herald that it supports the school district and its efforts at inclusion.
“School clubs and extracurricular activities provide vital spaces for youth to find community, educate themselves and others, and develop and express their unique voices,” an emailed statement on behalf of Whatcom Youth Pride’s board members said.
“Drag can be a fun and age-appropriate activity celebrating identity and expression. Whatcom Youth Pride enthusiastically supports the opportunity for youth to take part in a drag/talent show that celebrates our young people,” the statement said.
Northwest Youth Services, which has a Queer Youth Project, also gave its support, said executive director Jason McGill.
“Northwest Youth Services stands with Bellingham Public Schools in their support of students’ right to self-expression,” McGill told The Herald in an email.
“Drag is an art form that allows people of all ages to explore and celebrate their identity in an age-appropriate manner, while promoting acceptance and self-love in their community. We wholeheartedly support the Whatcom Middle School GSA and their efforts to provide youth a safe space to explore their identity and express their creativity,” he said.
As a performance event, drag shows are closely associated with the gay-rights movement but not necessarily always queer or trans in nature, said Josh Cerretti, an associate professor of history at Western Washington University and interim director of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program.
Drag dates as far back as Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, when actors dressed in gender-bending attire, and it has gained popularity recently, mainly because of the TV series “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“By looking at the history of drag, we can look at the history of oppression against lesbians and gays,” Cerretti told The Herald.
So-called drag queens and drag kings were the vanguard of the gay-rights movement, challenging “suffocating norms” even before the famed Stonewall Riot, Cerretti said.
“Putting on a drag show at a middle school is no more inappropriate than putting on a Shakespeare show of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ which is inherently about sexuality,” Cerretti said.
“Gender-creative youth are one of our most precious natural resources. We want to foster their growth and happiness,” he said. “People who are pushing this controversy are harming kids. They shouldn’t limit freedom of expression to satisfy your own prejudices.”
For its part, the school district agrees.
“Our middle and high school GSA clubs provide an important safe space for LGBTQ+ students, and there is research that shows the positive impact these groups can have for all students,” Smith told The Herald.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 5:14 PM.
