Canadian public broadcaster interviews children for documentary about drag
A lithe, long-legged dancer performs for the camera, rolling onto her back.
She looks like a pre-teen girl and, surprise, she is one. Twelve-year-old Bracken Hanke is one of the children being interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for its upcoming documentary for children about children who do drag.
CBC Kids News tweeted a three-minute video yesterday in which the “four stars” of the promised show squirm artistically for the camera and explain what drag means for them.
What's it like to be a KID #DRAGQUEEN?@CBCKidsNews spoke with the four stars of CBC's new #DragKids documentary to find out what #drag is, and why they do it. #lgbtq #queer #kiddragqueen @cbcdocs
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The tax-funded broadcaster presented the short promo with the statement: “What's it like to be a KID #DRAGQUEEN? ������ @CBCKidsNews spoke with the four stars of CBC's new #DragKids documentary to find out what #drag is, and why they do it. #lgbtq #queer #kiddragqueen @cbcdocs.”
Bracken describes herself as a “hyper queen, a female drag queen” and drag as a performance.
Jason, 11, says his “drag name” is Susan B. Anthony. He says drag is “showing who you are.”
Nemis, 10, who is a celebrity drag queen from Montreal known as Lactatia, holds a large stuffed elephant throughout the promotional spot. Although otherwise wearing boys’ clothes for his interview, he is wearing heavy eyeshadow.
“Drag is a performing art,” he says, clutching the toy, “because you are the canvas.”
Stephan, 9, who wears lipstick for the video, says his “drag name” is Laddy Gaga.
“A man transforms into a woman for entertainment,” he explains, “and a woman transforms into a man for entertainment.”
Stephan breaks into song, imitating Lady Gaga singing the refrain of “Shallow.”
The children discuss their favorite performance songs -- Bracken favors “No Excuses,” a spirited song in which a woman fends off aggressive sexual advances, their favorite celebrity drag queens, and their favorite drag expressions.
Tellingly, Bracken identifies her favorite “drag queen,” Alaska, as having appeared in two seasons of TV show “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” Bracken spares her audience Alaska’s full “drag name”, which cannot be printed in a family newspaper or, surprising under the circumstances, pronounced on the CBC.
The children say they hope kids who watch the documentary will learn that it’s “OK” and “not weird” to do drag.
Nemis says he now performs for crowds, whose cheers lead him to believe he is “doing all right.” Bracken says drag has helped her express herself in a way that she is not able to in everyday life and that it is part of her journey of self-discovery. Stefan says drag helps him to be himself.
The CBC’s tweet has met with a twitterstorm of shocked responses.
“The parents of these kids and the producers of this documentary should be in prison for child abuse,” Mark Dice tweeted to the CBC.
“This is absolutely disgusting,” chipped in a Twitter user calling himself Nate.
“Everyone involved in this piece needs to be fired immediately, and you should lose all your funding,” he continued.
“Canada needs a national broadcaster, but the CBC is too broken at this point. Time to start from scratch.”
“This sexualization of children is criminal behavior by the CBC,” stated Jason Lee.
David Cooke of the Canadian branch of CitizenGo told LifeSiteNews via email that he found the short video “heart-wrenching.”
“It is absolutely heart-wrenching to see young 9-, 10-, 11-, and 12-year- old boys and girls being exploited as cross-dressing sex objects, performing lewd dances for the entertainment of rowdy LGBT crowds,” he said.
Cooke believes the children have been groomed into the “exhibitionist” and “immoral” performance art by influential adults in their lives.
“I have a 10-year old daughter and a 13-year-old son, and I would never allow them to be used like this - not for all the fame and money in the world,” he said.
Cooke believes that the CBC is “glorifying” child abuse and exploitation by “showcasing” the children.
“Not only should these children's parents be investigated by police, so should the producers of this CBC documentary,” he wrote.
“These kids should be in school, at home, in the playground - doing normal "kid things," not practicing erotic dance moves in drag to provide pleasure to audiences of deviants,” Cooke continued.
“There needs to be an urgent uproar against this.“
The CBC documentary is merely the latest in a series of media and commercial celebrations of children emulating performers known as much for their lewd routines as for their exaggeratedly “feminine” outfits. Nemis Quinn Mélançon-Golden was at the center of a controversy in January after posing with a nude man for Huck magazine.
Nemis’ American counterpart, Desmond Napoles, or Desmond is Amazing, recently dressed in drag as a “spokes-kid” for Converse sneakers. Desmond, who is autistic, has also been filmed dancing in gay bars and appeared with a convicted killer on the latter’s YouTube channel. Desmond also appeared on Good Morning America.
To make your views respectfully known, please contact:
CBC Kids’ News: cbckidsnews@cbc.ca
Or: CBC National Audience Services
P.O. Box 500, Station A
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5W 1E6
1-866-306-4636
P.O. Box 500, Station A
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5W 1E6
1-866-306-4636
