In recently published commentaries by Christine Flowers, she explained her opposition to same-sex marriage and drag queens reading to kids. She even admitted the risk of being called homophobic for her remarks. Well, you know the saying: “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck …” Cue the eye rolls from the right-wing readers, but hear me out.
Commenting on same-sex marriage, she gave the whole separate but equal argument. As she explained, she has compassion for same-sex couples but doesn’t feel we deserve to be married. People like to think that just because they have been around a gay person, it suddenly means they’re not homophobic. Discrimination is displayed in many forms. If you can’t accept that someone deserves to live their life as you and participate in the same institutions as you, it’s a form of discrimination. Plain and simple.
About drag queens, she draws the line at exposure to kids and feels “no 3-year old should have to figure out why the person who sounds like Daddy but looks and smells like Mommy … is reading them a story …”
A 3-year old doesn’t care or really realize what’s going on unless the parents have instilled in their kids that it’s wrong to wear clothes that are traditionally reserved for the opposite sex. I have two kids, aged 3 (a boy) and 4 (a girl). Sometimes they both dress up in my daughter’s princess outfits and have a grand old time using their imaginations together. My husband and I just laugh with them and let them enjoy life. Does it mean I’m grooming my son to be trans later in life? Absolutely not. It just means I realize playing dress-up is a form of entertainment, just like a drag queen.
If preventing your kids from dressing up or being exposed to drag queens had any impact on whether they turn out gay, trans or straight, then I’d be the straightest macho man out there. I grew up listening to homophobic remarks in small-town, conservative Texas from close friends and family. I dare not get close to my mom’s closet. Yet here I am, a proud gay man with a thriving family. For argument’s sake, let’s say a child does ask questions. Is it so wrong to say sometimes people dress up to make us laugh? If you have a problem saying that to your child, then deep down you have a problem with drag queens — i.e. form of discrimination.
The parents who take their kids to see drag queens reading books are the ones that foster an open, loving household. They’ve probably already explained to their kids that people come in all forms and that’s OK. So don’t worry about those kids. They’ll be fine. I’m worried about the kids who come from parents who agree with Ms. Flowers. Those are the kids who will pass judgment and make my kids feel like there’s something wrong with them because they come from a two-dad household.
John Hills
Stevenson Ranch
