by Aaron Warner
Every other Tuesday evening in Hartford/White River Junction the town holds its Select Board meeting with the first few minutes open to public comments. This week’s meeting saw several members of the town chiding Board Member Lannie Collins for his statement made regarding the controversial event sweeping the nation – Drag Queen Story Hour.
Pride Center Vermont and the Vermont Chapter Drag Queen Story Hour recently attempted to hold the event at the Northern Stage theatre in downtown White River, however it was disrupted due to a bomb threat which turned out to be a hoax. The threat was issued via email and was said to have come from an encrypted Russian server which leaves the question – who perpetrated the hoax? (For more on the rise of hate crime hoaxes read this book)
The comment controversy began with board member Ally Tufenkjian referring to a recent drag event as “a positive experience” to which Collins replied ““I take deference to it being labeled a positive experience because some people in our community would not view those events at Northern Stage as a positive experience,” Collins said during Selectboard comments earlier this month. “That is a personal expression and is not shared by all members of the board or all residents within the town. And I don’t think it’s appropriate (for Selectboard members) to make personal statements about whether it is positive or negative.”
Though rarely attended by townsfolk, and rarely viewed online due to their pedantic and bureaucratic nature, this meeting saw a relatively packed house by Hartford standards. It seems word got out Mr. Collins exercised his right to voice his concern on behalf of those in town who share his apprehension given the event is not only categorical grooming of children but has been riddled with child sex offenders around the country. Collins detractors either are unaware or simply aren’t concerned the children’s safety may be compromised in the name of diversity and inclusion.
A look at the performers that evening finds Drag Queens Emoji Nightmare and Katniss Everqueer. One look at their social media and it’s obvious they promote highly sexualized behavior.
Emoji Nightmare is a man from tiny Cambridge Vermont whose real name is Justin Marsh. Marsh grew up in Cambridge on a dairy farm where he lives to this day. He read a child’s book last year at the House of Representatives’ devotional exercise. His day job is as a financial advisor while his evening and hobbyist passion seems to be all things drag.
Katniss’ bio mentions her work with autistic and disabled children, among other interests, but another concerning statement tells us she likes to portray Silence of the Lambs and Lot’s O Huggin’ Bear. Who is Lot’s O Huggin’ Bear? The Disney Fandom page describes the character as:
“…the main antagonist of the animated film Toy Story 3. He is a large, magenta pink strawberry-scented teddy bear who ruled Sunnyside Daycare with the iron fist of a prison warden, despite his advertised sweet nature.”
Furthermore, I don’t think anyone takes issue with older people, be they teens or adults, helping children learn to read. However improving literacy is not what Drag Queen Story Hour is about. They even say as much:
“DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive and unabashedly queer role models,” RADAR Productions writes about the program on its website. “In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress-up is real.”
In other words, having a stable identity is “rigid” and looking to those who defy societal norms as “role models” is to be lauded as good for children. This is only one aspect of the event adults who object take issue with.
The more concerning issue, especially for those who understand predatory behavior, is the same setting allows grown men to be disguised as women to unwitting children. Men have long been the predatory class when it comes to sex crimes against children. The Stop It Now site reports “males made up almost 88% of perpetrators”. There is not a more perfect scenario for a predator than to be able to access children in disguise as something innocent, especially if the disguise includes convincing parents they are there to help the child.
This is not to say Justin or Kat are predators but their chosen method for “queering children” also happens to be ideal for those who would sexually abuse them. Grooming requires time and a necessary drawing down of one’s guardedness, both the child’s and parents’. This is why predators gravitate toward positions like coaching, day care, clergy and school jobs because they need to have the appearance of wanting to help children.
A counter argument I heard is “but what about priests”? Or for that matter, what about coaches and teachers? Should we prevent them from being around children? No, but they also aren’t posing as something they aren’t nor specifically targeting children from a sexualized manner while drag queens are – deliberately. Those other vocations also require background checks – DQSH does not.
Not all drag queens support these story hours, nor do all members of the LGBTQ+ community. Those outspoken against it agree with their hetero-normative peers it’s inappropriate for children and clearly a method of grooming. The group Gays Against Groomers grew out of this concern. Their statement:
Still, what proof is there that predators would use such an innocent and fun event to target children? Here are just four instances out of many:
- Judge who headed ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ sponsor arrested on child porn charges
- Houston Public Library admits registered child sex offender read to kids in Drag Queen Storytime
- Oregon school teacher who mentored 11 year old drag queen sentenced for child sex crimes
- One is Houston man William Travis Dees, a.k.a. Lisa Lott, who was incarcerated and listed as a high-risk sex offender in 2004 after he abused multiple children ages 4, 5, 6 and 8.
General information about targeting of children:
- the US accounts for 800,000 missing child cases each year.
- Alaska is the state with the highest number of missing people, including both adults and children. The state of Arizona takes second place, followed by Oregon, Washington, and Vermont.
- The average age for a minor to enter the sex trade is 12 – 14.
- Children with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than children without disabilities to be sexually abused
- Children with intellectual and mental health disabilities appear to be the most at risk, with 4.6 times the risk of sexual abuse as their peers without disabilities.
- In as many as 93 percent of child sexual cases, the child knows the person that commits the abuse.
- 60% of children who are sexually abused do not disclose
(source: Stop It Now)Lastly, and perhaps most shocking, the popularity of DQSH extends overseas especially in the UK where the incidence of sex crimes against children is now most commonly perpetrated by other children.
The author is a VDC columnist and Upper Valley regional reporter. He lives in Hartford, VT where he owns two award-winning small businesses. He is a graduate of Leadership Upper Valley class of 2010.
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Categories: Commentary, Local government, Society & Culture
I believe you folks have bigger problems than what you think. Only the first few minutes are open to the public ? Vermont’s “Open Meeting” law requires all meetings are open to the public unless an “executive session” is determined to be necessary. I would suggest that someone contact the SoS office and conduct an investigation of the manner which your select board conducts of these meetings. They were very helpful in pointing out that their may be the possibility of the over use of exectutive session. At the very least it will let them know that some one is keeping an eye on them,and that’s a good thing.
There is a reason that the queer Left is specifically targeting kids at their own school: these kids are a captive audience, in an environment that is removed from parents, and sanctioned by their normally-trusted “teachers.”
Of course the kids are going along; they don’t know not to!
Does anyone wonder why the drag queens don’t have an open invite to host “story hour” at their own homes? Or don’t conduct story hour at the police station, or biker bar, or public park?
It’s because they don’t have the balls, and because only the freaks would show up. That’s a hard way to normalize aberrant behavior. So they go to where the kids are, not to help them read, but to get the kids to accept that what is freakish is actually OK.
And as they say, once you believe in absurdities, you can commit atrocities.
Riptide is right, kids were safer when they stayed in the closet, I said it, sue me.
I thought freak shows were passé. Bob Bennett
remember jeff epstein/// it is all you need to know////
And serious mental illness takes center stage again, courtesy: Vermont Elected Officers.
Exactly, Vermont politicians due nothing but pander to the criminals, addicts and the mentally ill. That’s what happens when you elect non vermonters to office.
There’s a former track coach from Yuma AZ who went to federal prison for interstate trafficking of a minor for sex in 2018. He is a 4O-something registered sex offender and currently lives in a shed in Essex Jct with his young (albeit adult now) victim/bride. If that isn’t the definition of grooming, I don’t know what is. How is that ok in Vermont? Sometimes I wonder if her parents even know where she is.
Lannie is absolutely right. People in any governmental positions should refrain from making public comments about things, especially when they know full well that they are controversial topics.
All forms of homosexuality are inherently disordered- I don’t have time to put a finer point on it but it’s an inherently loser position and gross to point to “Gays Against Groomers” as some kind of counter point or “good trannies”. What about instead we value the opinions of just good normal Americans instead of sexual deviants. Like- I’m sure folks would rightfully be offended if a a group of heterosexual men had an intersex group, entire identity, parades and non-profits based around enjoying receiving bl*wjobs. Yet it’s celebrated for degenerates, mentally unwell, perverts, and the addled to push their perversions of the public and to children unmolested (excuse the pun) under threat of criminal punishment if you think otherwise.
Wow! I certainly wouldn’t want to be a gay person in your family or neighborhood.
The Big Lie is that this is about teaching to read. It is about conditioning children to rebel against their parents and societal norms. It is neo-Marxist and they admit it. James Lindsay has documented this fact thoroughly, but it is obvious: 1) Vermont reading scores are plummeting: perhaps the Nightmare Emoji should just read from Dr. Seuss only; 2) pole dancing and stripping down to your fat-ass g-string and spreading your hairy legs for toddlers has zero to do with reading. It is sexual grooming, and it is shocking that so many idiotic parents believe they are enlightened to take their children to such displays. Sadly, it won’t be just the parents who pay the cost in future. This is about destroying children’s minds so that they can be weaponized for revolution, as pawns. And they wonder why public schools are losing both teachers and enrollment…. Hmmmmm.
Excellent article! So many facts we all need to explain why this is so wrong to others we know. Thank you for taking the time to put this information together and to VT Daily Chronicle for sharing it. Thank you for those standing up for children.
I doubt Collins meant he “took deference” which would mean he respected DQST; but rather “took exception”. Words matter and that’s why its so important that we need to teach children to read as well as understand the meaning of words.
Causes of homosexual men:
– Sexual abuse at a pre-developmental age 99%
– Chemical exposure at a pre-developmental age <1%
– Mentally suggestible people (Autism/etc) wanting to belong <1% and growing
When are we going to talk about preventing homosexuality, and start putting their abusers in jail? Any school boys that "come out of the closet", should have an immediate legal investigation into who abused them. Leave it to politicians to use victims as victims, instead of helping them.
People that have views like this are usually repressed homosexuals which is why they care so much about what consenting adults do and America has moved on w.
Consenting adults can do whatever the H they want in the privacy of their own abodes – NEVER in front of children and NEVER imposing their personal “proclivities” in front of ANYONE who doesn’t want it. MY “choice”.
As far as homosexuality – it was consistently regarded a mental health disorder by the APA until the latter 20th century (1970’s) and remains considered as such, a disorder, by most of the world’s largest religions including Islam, Catholic, Baptist, Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and others. And that, Chris, is referred to as: reality. Like it or not. And you very obviously…do NOT.
Nowhere did I mention anything about what consenting adults do. I love everyone, including gay people. I actually find most gay people really kind and interesting. The problem is the reason they are gay is because someone sexually abused them. No one seems to care about THAT! Child abuse is not something to be celebrated, it is something to be investigated and corrected. Justice FOR the victim, and to prevent future victims.
Chris seems to be making phantom arguments with an invisible narrative. You okay bud? I heard there was a shortage of pharmaceutical meth.
Is this a factual statement or your opinion? If factual please site your source that shows “People that have views like this are usually repressed homosexuals”. Thank you.
Are these facts you’re sharing or your opinion? If facts please site the source. Thank you.
It is my opinion, and many respected doctors opinions, based off of many “factual” studies. Most cite “bisexual”, and only about a quarter of them were NOT abused sexually. But if you look up studies about repressive memories of those sexually abused, it’s likely that they don’t self report things they can’t remember, and if you take the biological women out of the equation, the number is mostly around 99% of gay men. It’s mostly common sense. Regardless, if the number was 50% (which no way in hell it is), that should still be a very concerning indicator of abuse in our society that needs to be addressed much more importantly than the other things political perverts dazzle in front of the news.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32178293/
I wonder if those who sit in the power seats or who support degenerate behavior, are in fact closeted, cloaked, partakers of this themselves? If they are so supportive, why are they not up there in their drag garb, shaking their booty in front of children? Is it because they do it in private so people don’t see they are perverted and living precariously through those who are out sexually abusing children with impunity?
Birds of a feather!