Dupage Policy Journal

A drag queen will instruct children and young adults ages 13 through 25 on how to apply makeup at an event planned at the Indian Prairie Public Library. 

The event — Make Up Basics with a Queen — is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 11 from 6 to 7 p.m, which will be held on the second floor, meeting room 1.

“Eyes. Lips. Face. If you've ever struggled with eyeliner or figuring out where the lipliner goes, this is the workshop for you," the event listing reads. "Led by a drag queen from Chicago Drag Storytime, we'll be learning some basics of applying our own make-up with an emphasis on gender as performance and make-up as our playground. All genders welcome! Ages 13 - 25.”

The event is one of several throughout the Chicagoland area in which drag queens are given forums at public libraries in which they advocate for children. At nearby Downers Grove Library, a drag queen known better for adult-themed late-night shows will perform for children and host a Drag Queen Bingo, Dupage Policy Journal reported. That event and others throughout the state have received considerable attention in recent weeks.

Awake Illinois, a parent rights organization, came out against that event and has been vocal in its opposition to others such as questioning "How is this fulfilling the values of the Downers Grove Library?" The organization issued a 'call of action' in a campaign to cancel the 'Drag Queen Bingo' event for grades 7 to 12.

The sexualization of kids has come to the forefront of this campaign season. Progressives have defended an aggressive approach to normalizing alternative genders while conservatives have held issues of sex and gender should only be discussed in a serious way when children are old enough to grasp the concepts. Awake Illinois held its Common Sense Caravan on August 16 to discuss. The procession gathered at the Lincoln Statue on Second Street in Springfield. Advocates said a few words at the statue after they marched and before ending the event, according to Prairie State Wire.