The Ten News, an award-winning news podcast for kids 8-12 and their families, has released a Pride episode featuring drag queen and author Lil Miss Hot Mess! Listen here!
Hosts Pamela Kirkland and Ryan Willard are ready for Pride with their glitter tiaras (though this is a podcast, so we’ll have to assume they’re stunning)! Their guest, Lil Miss Hot Mess, storyteller, activist, and board member of Drag Story Hour, talks about what drag is, the positive things a Drag Story Hour offers children, and what she says to those who want to ban such events. She also shares what Pride means to her and offers her advice for kids who might be a little afraid of being different.
Among other things, she says:
We want people to celebrate themselves, to celebrate the diversity in their communities, to really let their inner sparkle shine brightly on the world…. Sometimes the best way to change the world is really to start with yourself and to give yourself a little bit of a transformation. And that may or may not involve a little bit or a lot of bit of glitter. But sometimes by remaking ourselves, we can start to change the world around us.
That’s good advice for everyone!
Kirkland and Willard also discuss Florida’s attack on LGBTQ rights, its “Don’t Say Gay” law, and the battle between Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney, presented in a lighthearted manner meant to engage kids. There’s also a Pride trivia game about the history of drag!
With a rise in drag bans and anti-drag sentiment around the country, especially related to kids and drag, I applaud The Ten News for offering this timely podcast with a champion of Drag Story Hour! (Here’s my own interview with Lil Miss Hot Mess from last Pride.)
Listen here or on your favorite podcast app!
The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts.