With regard to the penis or phallic symbol, the Ancient Romans were highly into their penis as art objects -- many youths wore bulla which often had phallic symbols incorporated as some sort of protection. When they put on the toga, the bullas were placed with the household gods.
It was also used a symbol of renewal. My children enjoyed going to Chesters fort (we live near Hadrian's Wall) where the Romans had placed a phallic symbol in a rather prominent place in the main hall of the fort. Different culture, different meanings attached.
Did the Romans do drag? Possibly. They were constantly looking at ways to criticise the establishment without seeming to.
The trouble with drag story hours are 1. have different safeguarding standards been applied? There is some evidence that this has happened in the US and in the UK Safeguarding standards should be the same across the board. No exceptions. 2. What is the cost? In the UK, there is something called Society of Authors rates -- many authors because it is a public library will accept less as they know the funds are limited. I am fully behind any author giving talks/reading their books etc in a library as long as they have been properly vetted and they are being paid a set fee.
As I write adult books, I have given talks to adults in libraries about writing and in particular writing romance. However, I would not go into schools and give talks to children about writing (even though the principles of story don't vary) simply because my books are not aimed at that market. Equally I don't think any children were at my talks.
Instead aiming at children which are not really the drag market, perhaps they could do adult story time hours in libraries.
As for me personally, I would just would not have taken my children or indeed any random child in my care to such an event.
There again, I did not particularly like Punch and Judy shows either. I once saw one with my eldest at a birthday, thankfully his reaction was the same my more American one of this isn't very funny. The British satire had passed us both by and the experience was not repeated. And Punch and Judy shows have over the time I have lived in the UK become much less popular.
There are reasons why society, particularly society after WW2, decided that safeguarding childhood was a good thing. Some of the abuses particularly of child performers (for example Dame Eileen Atkins' autobiography) make for uncomfortable reading.
To a certain extent, drag comes from the old traditions of music hall and vaudeville, yes? To my mind it should stay as adult entertainment, in particular adult satire.
There's a troubling conflation of drag with transgenderism, and it's not helpful for kids. Drag is a performance (the word actually comes from a 16th century stage direction and stands for DRESSED AS GIRL), a costume. Trans is entirely something else. Also all of this gets placed under the QUEER umbrella and the fact is that not all gay people identify as queer, which is a political way of being gay and out.
A thought provoking piece.
With regard to the penis or phallic symbol, the Ancient Romans were highly into their penis as art objects -- many youths wore bulla which often had phallic symbols incorporated as some sort of protection. When they put on the toga, the bullas were placed with the household gods.
It was also used a symbol of renewal. My children enjoyed going to Chesters fort (we live near Hadrian's Wall) where the Romans had placed a phallic symbol in a rather prominent place in the main hall of the fort. Different culture, different meanings attached.
Did the Romans do drag? Possibly. They were constantly looking at ways to criticise the establishment without seeming to.
The trouble with drag story hours are 1. have different safeguarding standards been applied? There is some evidence that this has happened in the US and in the UK Safeguarding standards should be the same across the board. No exceptions. 2. What is the cost? In the UK, there is something called Society of Authors rates -- many authors because it is a public library will accept less as they know the funds are limited. I am fully behind any author giving talks/reading their books etc in a library as long as they have been properly vetted and they are being paid a set fee.
As I write adult books, I have given talks to adults in libraries about writing and in particular writing romance. However, I would not go into schools and give talks to children about writing (even though the principles of story don't vary) simply because my books are not aimed at that market. Equally I don't think any children were at my talks.
Instead aiming at children which are not really the drag market, perhaps they could do adult story time hours in libraries.
As for me personally, I would just would not have taken my children or indeed any random child in my care to such an event.
There again, I did not particularly like Punch and Judy shows either. I once saw one with my eldest at a birthday, thankfully his reaction was the same my more American one of this isn't very funny. The British satire had passed us both by and the experience was not repeated. And Punch and Judy shows have over the time I have lived in the UK become much less popular.
There are reasons why society, particularly society after WW2, decided that safeguarding childhood was a good thing. Some of the abuses particularly of child performers (for example Dame Eileen Atkins' autobiography) make for uncomfortable reading.
To a certain extent, drag comes from the old traditions of music hall and vaudeville, yes? To my mind it should stay as adult entertainment, in particular adult satire.
There's a troubling conflation of drag with transgenderism, and it's not helpful for kids. Drag is a performance (the word actually comes from a 16th century stage direction and stands for DRESSED AS GIRL), a costume. Trans is entirely something else. Also all of this gets placed under the QUEER umbrella and the fact is that not all gay people identify as queer, which is a political way of being gay and out.