Drag queen teaches kids how to ‘feel fabulous inside our own bodies’ on national TV
A drag queen appeared on a television programme on PBS where she taught children about the importance of feeling “fabulous inside of our own bodies”.
Lil Miss Hot Mess appeared on an episode of PBS show Let’s Learn, where she read her own book The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.
“I wrote this book because I wanted everyone to get to experience the magic of drag and to get a little practice shaking their hips or shimmying their shoulders to know how we can feel fabulous inside of our own bodies,” Lil Miss Hot Mess told kids watching at home.
The book follows a drag queen who performs her routine “in front of an awestruck audience” and features a number of drag queen characters.
Lil Miss Hot Mess encouraged her virtual audience of kids aged between three and eight years old to shimmy, twirl and shake their hips as she read to them.
“I think we might have some drag queens in training on our hands,” the drag queen told kids watching at home.
“Being a drag queen is about being bold, shining bright, and showing a little bit of bravery, being willing to step outside the box and to dance to our own beat sometimes,” she added.
Drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess ‘truly honoured’ to read to children on television
Let’s Learn is produced by WNET, a PBS members station, and New York City’s Department of Education.
Producers have reportedly received only a small number of complaints since Lil Miss Hot Mess’s episode aired on 31 March.
Lil Miss Hot Mess said she was “truly honoured” to have been given the chance to read to children in an Instagram post in April.
“I don’t usually get too verklempt about being included in things, but I really am over the moon that more and more schools are excited to teach queer content – and it really speaks to the power of Drag Queen Story Hour!” she wrote.
She said the episode was intended to “supplement young kids’ education during the pandemic”, at a time when many have had their access to education curtailed.
According to her website, the drag queen was among the original artists who launched Drag Queen Story Hour, an initiative that sees members of the drag community read to children in public spaces.
The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish was published in May 2020.