Dori responds to criticism over Drag Queen Story Time debate

On Monday, I started the show with some commentary about an event at the Renton Library called Drag Queen Story Hour. Drag Queen Story Time was billed as a “fun-filled hour of stories, songs, crafts, snacks, and photos.”

I said that I think that there is an absolute agenda on the left to make us as gender-less a society as possible. If adults want to have that conversation, that’s fine. But this notion that we have to teach our young kids these things, and use a government facility to do so — I’ve got a problem with that. That’s my opinion and I give my opinion on my talk show.

My other main comment was that this particular drag queen that the library was going to hire, Sparkle Leigh, was on a YouTube video getting high while throwing around m-f-bombs. I said that I don’t think that’s the person who should be reading to our toddlers.

RELATED: King County Library System uses tax dollars for Drag Queen Story Time

Now, throughout the commentary, Ursula was pretty vehemently disagreeing, so what we had was two sides to the argument. We had balanced commentary. This was not mentioned by those who criticized me.

On Tuesday morning, a story dropped on the website of a certain newspaper with the headline, “KIRO’s Dori Monson Picked a Fight with the Wrong Drag Queen.” (It begs the question, who is the right drag queen to pick a fight with?) The first line states, “It appears KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson likes everything but his facts to be straight.” The article, which calls me an “Alex Jones doppelganger” and compares me to Vladimir Putin, is full of inaccuracies, yet ironically they’re criticizing me for inaccuracies. My show is about my opinion, and we have the biggest audience in Seattle radio. So obviously people either agree with the things that I say, or they like to hear a side that they disagree with.

It further states, “A drag queen reading books to children is story time, not propaganda.” Then tell me, why is the event called Drag Queen Story Time? It’s not about children and it’s not about story time. It highlights the fact that a drag queen is reading the story. This is clearly part of the left’s agenda to make us a gender-less society.

Then the article states this:

Monson’s main gripe with the event, besides the King County Library System finding it “somehow appropriate to indoctrinate children,” was his belief that his tax money was supporting the programming. At his most frustrated moment during the segment, Monson exploded, à la Alex Jones: ‘CAN ANYBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND EXPLAIN TO ME HOW OUR TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING FOR DRAG QUEEN STORY TIME AT THE RENTON LIBRARY?’

Yes! Jared Mills, a Seattle librarian and one of the originators of Drag Queen Story Time at the Seattle Public Libraries, clarified the situation for The Stranger: ‘TAX DOLLARS DID NOT PAY FOR THAT.’

Mills says the event, sponsored by the Friends of Renton Library, is supported by donations, which is clearly stated on the event listing where Monson presumably found Sparkle Leigh’s name. The King County Library System’s page for the Renton Library goes on to state that Friends of the Renton Libraries pay dues and raise money through book sales and other fundraisers.

If you listened to my show on Monday, I said that the event was held in the library; our tax dollars pay for those buildings.

The article also rips me because apparently Sparkle Leigh was in Cincinnati on Monday, not Renton; the library found a replacement drag queen. Then why did the Renton Library page have an ad for “Drag Queen Story Time with Sparkle Leigh,” and if they wanted to correct that, why didn’t they talk to us? Monday and Tuesday we made every effort to get the library on the show. Unlike this newspaper article that is filled with lies, we try to get the other side of stories. We always invite anyone we criticize to come on the show. On Tuesday, Nicole had a long talk today with their communications director, Julie Acteson, who refused to come on with us because “she knows [my] game.”

Let me read to you part of the statement they sent us in lieu of speaking to us. It begins:

“American public libraries have long championed the ideals of respect, tolerance, inclusion, and equality of all people. The King County Library System is pleased to offer programs that elevate those ideals and honor the broad diversity of our community.”

My question for the King County Library System is, do you have any example of conservative-themed programs? Would you have story time with a member of our military? I know for sure that you don’t have religious-themed events. In fact, when the libraries were closed on Easter, they were too afraid to put “Easter” on a sign on the door. They just said that the libraries were closed “due to low traffic volumes” that day.

They talk about “diversity,” but the only people they will talk to as a government agency are people who agree with them. They will not come on the show of someone with a dissenting opinion. They’re very much like the culture of the entire region. “We believe in tolerance and respect and diversity — as long as you agree with us. If you don’t agree with us, then we won’t even talk to you.”

The library’s statement also said, “We also encourage those who have expressed concern over this series to engage in respectful conversations with their fellow patrons and to exercise their freedom to not participate in this particular program.” Really? I have the freedom to not participate in this program? I checked my King County property taxes. Hundreds of dollars a year go to the King County Library System. What’s my option to not participate, Julie? Are you telling me I can withhold that portion of my taxes? Because they’ll send a sheriff’s deputy to my house if I short the county on taxes. We all pay property taxes to the King County Library System and we don’t have the option to not participate.

Also, the line about engaging in “respectful conversations” — that’s the statement she said after she declined to come on my show and have a respectful conversation with me. There’s the tolerance of the left.

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