{"id":1434800,"date":"2022-04-13T08:33:12","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T12:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1434800"},"modified":"2022-04-13T08:33:17","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T12:33:17","slug":"washington-middle-schoolers-awarded-2000-from-district-for-student-drag-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-middle-schoolers-awarded-2000-from-district-for-student-drag-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Middle Schoolers Awarded $2,000 From District for Student Drag Show"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwashington-middle-schoolers-awarded-2000-from-district-for-student-drag-show%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1434800&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>Middle school students at Whatcom Middle School will perform in drag in the coming weeks. And the district is paying them to do it.<\/p>\n<p>Bellingham Public Schools <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bellinghamschoolsfoundation.org\/think-big\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">held a contest<\/a> called Think BIG. A group of judges awarded up to $2,500 in funds to club leaders pitching innovative ideas on using the funds. Students said they would build storm gardens, provide serapes to graduating seniors, and even help meet student transportation needs to and from school.<\/p>\n<p>The Gender Sexuality Alliance Club (GSA) had a controversial idea: a student drag show.<\/p>\n<h3>Middle schoolers in drag earn cash?<\/h3>\n<p>Student club finalists presented their \u201cbig ideas\u201d at a March 29 event, each earning at least $1,000 for making it so far in the process. Each club submitted written applications to a panel of judges. They had 250 words to explain how the club would use the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation funds.<\/p>\n<p>GSA club members said they would use their funds, in part, for a \u201cDrop Dead Gorgeous Drag Show.\u201d Students, not adults, would participate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn their application for the contest, the WMS [Whatcom Middle School] GSA stated that, if they won any of the Foundation\u2019s grant funds, they would use them to plan a student drag \/ talent show and additional outreach activities to support students, such as anti-bullying posters or campaigns,\u201d a Bellingham Public Schools spokesperson confirms to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson said a date has not yet been set for the drag event. The club will receive $2,000 in reward money next week.<\/p>\n<h3>Adult judges won\u2019t explain decision<\/h3>\n<p>While drag events for college students are not wholly uncommon, it is rare for 10 to 14-year-old students to participate.<\/p>\n<p>The panel of judges comprised school district officials and community business leaders: Kate Di Nitto (Associate Director of Advising &#038; Career Services at Whatcom Community College),\u00a0Tony Freeland (President of Freeland &#038; Associates, an engineering firm),\u00a0Jennifer Gaer (Volunteer Coordinator at Bellingham Public Schools),\u00a0Schantell Hummel (Program and Events Coordinator at Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce),\u00a0Jay Jordan (Assistant Superintendent for the district), and Guy Occhiogrosso (President\/CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce).<\/p>\n<p>The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH emailed each judge with the same question. Could they elaborate on the decision to award middle schoolers for what seemed to be an inappropriate, adult-themed event?\u00a0Occhiogrosso was the only judge to respond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do not have much information on your inquiry,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The district asked that all questions go through them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have heard from most of the judges of the think big event, and they aren\u2019t interested in commenting,\u201d a district spokesperson explained to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.<\/p>\n<h3>Is this appropriate?<\/h3>\n<p>Student club members offered decidedly non-controversial and worthwhile uses for the funds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf GSA received a fund, and was able to use that fund to spread the queer word, we know it would help awareness with bullying and homophobia, and why it isn\u2019t ok. It would also help people know that there is a GSA, and that it is a safe space for queer and allies all around. We want to make the world a safer space for queers, and all other peers,\u201d the students wrote in their application.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s certainly nothing wrong with students promoting a more respectful environment free from bullying. Homophobia and bullying are real and can have a tremendously negative impact on the well-being of students. I wish them the best of luck in pushing for civility.<\/p>\n<p>But a drag show with kids or for kids is not appropriate. That\u2019s not a criticism of the children, but of their adult enablers.<\/p>\n<h3>Who would step in to keep the performance from getting too sexual?<\/h3>\n<p>Performances are usually for adult audiences because the usual nature of drag performances is highly sexualized. Even the controversial Drag Queen Story Hour events keep the performative nature of most drag shows at bay.<\/p>\n<p>Can\u00a0<em>this\u00a0<\/em>event avoid the hypersexualization of children? Sure. But what if it doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n<p>Which adult will stop a child from fully committing to the performance? Activists automatically label any criticism of drag as hateful. A district <a href=\"https:\/\/mynorthwest.com\/2882429\/rantz-trans-book-controversy-reveals-school-board-president-owns-all-ages-sex-shop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">school board member owns a sex shop<\/a> promoted as \u201call ages.\u201d This district isn\u2019t run by reasonable adults when it comes to sex. And that adults gave the green light on funds for a drag show confirms that point. Perhaps it\u2019s why none will even explain their decision to the media.<\/p>\n<p><em>Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3\u20136 pm on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mynorthwest.com\/category\/podcast_results\/?sid=1018&#038;n=The%20Jason%20Rantz%20Show\">podcast here<\/a>. Follow\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jasonrantz\">@JasonRantz<\/a>\u00a0 on\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jasonrantz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter,<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jasonrantz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jasonrantzshow\">Facebook<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/jasonrantz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>. Check back frequently for more news and analysis.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Middle school students at Whatcom Middle School will perform in drag in the coming weeks. And the district is paying them to do it. Bellingham Public Schools held a contest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":498,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1434800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1434800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1434800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1434800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1434800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}