“Drag Queen Story Hour” bill sparks debate

What do you think about “drag queen story hours” at your public library?

A state representative from southwest Missouri, Ben Baker, has filed a bill that would strip state funding from any libraries with age-inappropriate material, and possibly throw librarians in jail. He says it’s in response to drag queen story hours elsewhere.

Tanner Rambo is organizing a rally supporting the story hours.

“Any kind of comment that these story hours are somehow involving nudity or in any way comparable to strippers is just completely erroneous,” Rambo says.

Missouri River Regional Library Director Claudia Cook says she does not expect to see any of those events at her libraries, but she still disagrees with the bill.

“I think you’ve got to think about the community in which you live in, and that’s how we base a lot of our decisions in the library,” Cook says.

That rally in support of drag queen story hours is scheduled for March 7 at the state Capitol building.