GOP gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) | Twitter
GOP gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) | Twitter
Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey has condemned Waukegan and Highwood libraries for drag queen storytime.
"It is inappropriate enough to have a drag queen reading stories to kids but at the Waukegan and Highwood libraries they are going as far as to have kids engage in ‘drag queen’ dress up,” Bailey said. “What is happening at the Waukegan and Highwood libraries is a clear example of what the real intent behind these drags queen storytimes are – indoctrination. The officials and board members supporting this propagandizing are active participants in child abuse. They should be removed and the process that led to taxpayer money being used to sexualize children should be investigated. Public libraries are taxpayer-funded institutions intended to broadly share ideas and knowledge; they aren't mechanisms for Marxist activists to sexualize kids, push pornography and depravity on kindergartners.”
Bailey said if he is elected governor, he will bar state funding to libraries that host "drag queen" anything and push "political propaganda to children."
Bailey's comments come as the Waukegan and Highwood libraries have been accused of child abuse after announcing that they will be dressed in drag for a PrideFest event, the Lake County Gazette reported.
On Saturday, June 4, the Highwood PrideFest begins at noon.
According to the Celebrate Highwood website, the city will be decorated in LGBT flag colors for the entire month.
The program at Waukegan Library is also timed to coincide with the city's PrideFest march on June 4.
An Illinois State University student outed so-called “drag pedagogy,” advocating for “drag story hour,” according to the McLean County Times.
The student noted a text assigned in class that was an academic advocacy piece on introducing cross-dressing to children.
Bailey has received support from Illinois Family Action, Illinois Right to Life, Illinois Federation for Right to Life and Lake County Right to Life.
Bailey, a well-known conservative Republican, is pro-life and pro-gun rights, and has claimed that Illinois families are his first priority.
If elected, Bailey has promised to fight for parental rights, lower taxes and serious budgetary reform.
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