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Local Drag Queen Tequila Rose will be the official reader at Saturday's Drag Queen Story Hour at Wake the Dead Coffee House. The event will feature fun stories for children of all ages and live music with Molly J. Hayes. Daily Record photos by Denise Cathey

Drag Queen Story Hour returns Saturday

Friday, September 7, 2018

Wake the Dead Coffee House will host the second ever Drag Queen Story Hour in San Marcos this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Drag Queen Story Hour is a national nonprofit venture that was created by Michelle Tea and RADAR Productions. Drag Queen Story Hour is  pretty much exactly what it sounds like — drag queens reading stories to children. The events happen all over the country at bookstores, libraries and coffee shops. The goal of Drag Queen Story Hour is to not only capture the imagination of kids, but to give kids glamorous, positive and unabashedly queer role models. 

After learning about Drag Queen Story Hour last year, Jess Liao and Nix Nova – also known as Madylin Monroe Kennedy – were inspired to bring the event to San Marcos. They hosted the first Drag Queen Story Hour at Jo On the Go last October, and now organizers Liao and Nova are bringing local drag queen Tequila Rose in for the next installment.

“The reason why I’m so excited for this project and I think it’s important for kids to come witness it is that it gives them a sense of the progression of the world today, and that’s what I wish I had when I was that age, because if I was about 8 years old and I went to Drag Queen Story Hour and I saw someone that was magical and full of life and energy, I think it would have allowed myself at a young age to be who I really am,” Rose said.

Rose will be reading one of her favorite books for this storytime, “The Day the Crayons Quit” by Drew Daywalt. It’s a story about a kid whose crayons quit because they are tired of how they are being used – or not being used. Rose said the book strikes home for her, because it’s about learning to use all the colors to express yourself.

“I just want to make kids lives more colorful,” Rose said. “I want to teach them how to use all the crayons in the crayon box, because when you use all of them, life is more magical.”

Rose, who is currently pursuing her teaching certifications to become a theatre teacher, said that the kids attending will be walking away with a reassurance and self confidence within to be themselves – something that’s not always easy.

“By them seeing us, it allows them to discover themselves and who they really are, and so they are going to be able to feel comfortable within themselves at an early age because someone told them it’s OK to be who they are – because someone shed a little color in their coloring book,” Rose said.

Nix Nova, Tequila Rose and Jess Liao are responsible for organizing this year's Drag Queen Story Hour to inspire children with a love of reading and using their imagination. 

Drag Queen Story Hour has received pushback nationally, some accusing organizers of indoctrinating children. But according to Nova, San Marcos’ Drag Queen Story Hour is less about gender identity, than it is about teaching tolerance and anti-bullying.

 “I find that a lot people that are against Drag Queen Story Hour have this fear that we are indoctrinating their kids,” Nova said. “But if we are indoctrinating their kids, it’s an anti-bullying message, it’s a humanzing thing. We just want to let them know – to quote Depeche Mode – ‘People are people.’”

This Drag Quuen Story Hour will also feature the Marvelous Miss Molly – also known as Molly J. Hayes –  who will rock the coffee shop with zany original songs and clown antics. For more information abut the upcomingDrag Queen Stoy Hour, go to the Facebook event page

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666