Drag Queen Story Hour’s radical origins and the subversive sexualization of our kids
In the summer of 1986, a small group of college feminists gathered at the office of The New York Times to discuss the sexualization of young girls. They were concerned about the negative images of women associated with the music, movies, television and advertising industries. The feminist activists discussed how to take a proactive stance in order to counter the media’s negative portrayal of the young female body. The group called itself “The Lesbian Caucus.” They wrote a letter to the Times to express their concerns about young women not only in our nation but all around the world.
The group was concerned with the negative portrayals of women on film, in advertising and on television. They agreed that the depiction of women on television could be a major cause and effect of that negative depiction and that the Times was the perfect organization to address this issue. The Times was interested in finding out more about the issues the group was discussing and the Times responded by agreeing to their request to put the issue on the front page. The group then started to meet and plan.
The group met at the offices of The New York Times and as the meeting started to get “cram-bombed” into the work day by women seeking the paper to complain about their husbands and sons, the two women at the front of the room got on the phone. When I met with the two women for a chat, it did not take long for me to learn more about their story.
The first thing I learned was the name of the group the women formed. It was named “Lesbian Caucus.” When I asked the women for their name they told me that it was “Lesbian Caucus, Lesbian Caucus, Lesbian Caucus, Lesbian Caucus, Lesbian Caucus.” The lesbians of New York City did NOT understand the term! When asked to leave the office, I learned that the group had more members than the United Nations!
I was told that in 1986 there were hundreds of lesbians who met regularly to discuss a variety of issues. The women of the group were not just in the same profession. They also worked in advertising, publishing and entertainment. They met monthly to discuss the issues
