Volunteer drag queen Chasity Valentino returns to the Metro-East June 3 for a "storytime" event at the Collinsville Memorial Public Library - sparking outrage as well as support.
Valentino appeared for a similar event at the Caseyville library last year, which also prompted a flood of criticism.
Edwardsville resident Jennifer Sexton said that when she learned about the Collinsville event, her first thought was "why?"
"I see it as an excuse for grown adults to normalize their sexual behavior to young children," Sexton said. "It’s predatory and grooming in nature."
Collinsville's library belongs to the Mississippi Valley Library District, along with the Fairmont City Library.
Executive director Kyla Waltermire said the library district's mission is to provide materials and services to meet the "personal, intellectual, educational, and recreational needs and interests of the members of the community."
"The Library provides a variety of programs for all ages so that the Library can serve the needs and interests of as many community members as possible," Waltermire said. "Not all programs are designed for all members of the community because everyone has different needs and interests. Individuals can choose to participate, or not, based on their personal needs and interests."
A main objection of Sexton is that a search of Valentino's Instagram account turned up a "trove of sexually explicit" content.
"It took me five seconds to type in the drag queen’s name into Instagram, like any child could do, and I found a trove of sexually explicit photos in lingerie, with graphic captions, and even a photo advertising 'parental advisory/explicit content' over the crotch of the children’s story time reader, which directed people to become a paid subscriber to her OnlyFans account," Sexton said.
"Has everyone lost their minds? Why is any of this acceptable for children? If a parent is so eager to expose their child to drag queens, by all means, take them to a bar for a drag show. Oh, that’s right, bars are 21 and older, because children are developing and not everything appropriate for adults is also appropriate for children."
Waltermire said the event is for all ages.
"Chasity will be in full drag to read stories of identity and acceptance," Waltermire said. "What she does in her personal time, and legally, is beyond the scope of this program."
In a post announcing the story time event on the library's Facebook page, Sam London, who states that he is the children's librarian at the Collinsville library, wrote that Valentino is volunteering her time.
"She did the same last year at Caseyville, and it was wonderful," London wrote. "The tax dollars are actually paying my salary, the children's librarian. It is actually against the law for me to be denied a job based on my orientation and my identity - as a queer, nonbinary person who would have truly benefited from seeing this kind of support in my community as a child - so you don't have to worry about your taxes going to Chasity."
While the library is not paying Valentino for "Drag Queen Storytime," library staff facilitates the program.
Sexton insists that's wrong.
"This ideology is very much a religion to people, and just as conventional religion is kept out of publicly funded spaces, this should be too," she said. "Slay, queen, slay…but not in front of my toddler in a library."