Introduction hello friends and welcome to another library guide podcast today's guest is Thomas Tomlin library director at Port Jefferson free library today Tom will be talking to us about the controversial program to be held at Port Jefferson freed library drag queen story our okay so a drag queen story What is Drag Queen Story Time time is just exactly what it is drag queen is going to come and read stories to to kids and it's actually the map books about cross-dressing it's not books about sexuality it's not books about gender fluidity it's just books about acceptance and inclusion and we're able to veto any books of this person wants to read or doesn't want to read that kind of thing we have a list it's all just general books that a regular storytime would be doing anyway but it's all focused on inclusion and acceptance and and that kind of thing and diversity he came about we there's an organization and does is a not-for-profit and it's actually called drug story time and they're based out of San Francisco and they've been doing this I think two years they've been doing it all over the country you know we're the first on Long Island do it but Brooklyn has done it and New Jersey has done it so it's definitely been in this area before so we're definitely not doing anything new so it came about because a mom came in and she had I can't remember if she had attended one or she's sort of posted somewhere and she asked us to look into it and you know said would we interest in doing it so today you know like everything all suggestions like hey we'll look into it and let you know and of course I didn't take your contact info but we looked into it and we saw you know how one they're trained to do this is not just some personal industry there's somebody who's trained to do a story time which is great Frost and we like the message so we called up and mr. mr. Monica Sunshine's coming out so what What kind of blowback have you gotten kind of blowback haven't gotten Tom I really fall into two categories I'd say one is the very antagonistic name-calling I've been called a degenerate a pedophile sexual predator and usually those people that leave the contact information and honestly when I try to get them to express why they're upset with it which has been very difficult because they seem to be very wound up in there they're acting emotionally so it's hard to get a you know intellectual answer out of them because I can see people have legitimate you know issues with the program I did have some of those people too but the more in technically usually don't leave the name or the contact information there we actually do it seems to be severe in terms of you know not even funny out why we're doing this or what's going on they seem to be jumping to conclusions saying that you know we're performing pedophilia and all these things that have you know nothing to do with what a drag queen is you know I start trying to explain that drag queens or performance on I try to say it's about RuPaul and because that RuPaul is a good person that to settle this conversation on because you know he's a drinker you know and there's it seems and I'm not up on the gay community or the LGBTQ issues but I do know that there is difference between a crossdresser and a drag queen you know so when I try to explain that stuff to him I don't really get anywhere and they just want to keep on yelling at me and either I do what they want regardless of what support we have in the community or there's gonna be extremes I'm gonna be fired you know they're gonna get McKim fired they're gonna get a new port in here they're gonna go is defunded are you because we're promoting all these terrible horrible things so I probably had him I would say five reach out CEO of people some phone calls some online some emails the language seems the same so I yield baby it's not the same people or I was getting the feeling it was a couple of people reach out in different ways I don't know if that's true or not we expect protesters on Saturday you know we we let the constables know that this is going on that kind of thing but again we don't this isn't about sexuality and this isn't about pedophilia or any or I even gender identity this is just about inclusion and we felt that this person would be a good person to talk about inclusion and diversity and how somebody who was ostracized can we can really do damage to kids so we thought that was a good way to go you know most of these people that are yelling and screaming have it like stop to ask what other inclusion programs that we're looking to do they just they were very upset about this this person coming here so you know I you that's the one the first reaction that I've been getting and then there's the second one that that's not supportive I'm more rational have a discussion they're willing to give me their name and their phone number and they have questions about it's usually it's about the age group it feels a little inappropriate for people that age they're going to be a little confused and then it's about them some people just still think it's needed to be done and some people just think that it's the library trying to stir things up and we don't really want you know we're not trying to do an inclusive thing but we just want to prove a point those people I think I could work with more because they want to sit down and talk with me and they're also willing to work with me on what programs if it would be better for and inclusive which is fine with me I'll sit down with anybody and as long as they're respectful and want to be including an area there I will do any program that they want expensives from our community so we you know those people have been good and in fact a couple of those people live in the village and have that library card so I got some people to come down your lab records so that worked out well you know and then of course there's the other side where the support side where I've had people who are parents who want to introduce this to their kids so that they can start a topic about you know what is gender fluidity and what is gay people and by people and that kind of thing and this will be a stepping stone so that when they're home and they can engage their kids in a more positive aspect instead of may be relying on TV shows or anything of a more superficial representation of these issues so that's been good and then the other support that I've gotten is people who don't have kids but they love the idea so they did a very happy that the library is doing this and I just got a letter this morning with the letter with the 19 year old the 20 year old and though she just wish that there was something like this when her daughter was growing up in with struggling so our you know to see a positive influence and a positive aspect of somebody who's you know in the LGBTQ community seems to be hitting a point with people missing to enjoy they think it's a good thing so how did your having How did your library board take it a library board take to it I'm assuming they support you but have you got any have you got haven't gotten any message from them yeah well I got a couple board members came right out once I explained what we were doing and you know so this is a program and of course I also explained to you that we didn't expect this kind of reaction maybe you know we were silly but right away that three of them just came out and said unequivocally they support this they think it's a good thing and then they'll go Sam behind us all the way one person questioned the beneath of the program she felt at some point that it was either pushing a gay agenda or that people would be mandated for some reason I go to this I wasn't quite on the same which is going but she had said at one point she felt like if the school might force kids go to this and I said nobody's being forced to go to this I said nobody's you know and we're not pushing a gender so much as where were you're pushing you know the here's this person in a story time and then the parents who you know it's up to the parents where they want to bring their kids or not you know they'll be the ones who engage in I said with people who don't want to commerce and I'll gladly steer them towards another program that would better suit their interests you know you know as libraries we try to hit as every aspect of our community as possible and as much as there's conflict in our in our community we feel like we we have a duty to represent you know all the different people here and even if some people don't enjoy or we'd like to realize that this community group is within their own community so especially when the message is inclusionary and and about acceptance we feel like that's that's right in line with what libraries should be doing you know it's does that make sense how how do you feel as a How do you feel as a director director of the poor chances in free laundry how do you feel like this fits into your service profile well I feel you know I think it's right up our alley you know this is something that we should be doing we have I think there's a large community in here that would be able to take something from this story time and be able to communicate with the children better or with each other and be able to eat if not now five years now or six years from now maybe their child is part of the LGBTQ community or they know somebody who is and want to have a better understanding and be able to reach out to help that person yeah one person online who was there was a Facebook post and people going back and forth and one gentleman basin and Miller place as a social worker and he just came out and said look here's the statistics on somebody you know who was not straight anything you know he set it up you know drug abuse and emotional problems because they don't have the support D felt that this was a great way to start engaging kids so they can be able to see when they're when they feel is appropriate when the parents feel is appropriate to be able to engage on the larger topic of what it means to be you know gay or or bi or trans or they all questioning or even just a directly but you know there's also just the performance aspect of it that we can take away from this that's um just wants to perform as a persona on certain levels and we could all engage in that part of it that's for sure so what to me as the mission of the libraries it's right up there we're engaging in our community we're helping for sir a positive healthy discussion about what it means in today's he's what where gender can mean and what sexuality can mean for these kids down the road and this might help the parents she started talking about those things you you