LETTER: Protesters at drag story time may confuse children

SooToday received the following letter to the editor from reader Dr. Jonathan DellaVedova in response to demonstration against the Drag Story Time event.

I have been proudly practising pediatric medicine in Sault Ste. Marie for the past 10 years. Over this time, I have been privileged to get to know hundreds, if not thousands, of children and teens from all walks of life. This experience has taught me a few important things.

First of all, anyone who works with young people will tell you the same thing: kids are already expressing gender diversity well before they ever meet a drag performer. Kids want to paint their nails, take apart motors, play with dolls, strut around in heels, play hockey, sing in a choir, and climb trees because it makes them happy, not because of the chromosomes they were born with.

Second, restricting children to only the most traditional representations of gender will not make them any less gay, trans, non-binary, or otherwise gender diverse. They are going to end up in the same place. The only difference is whether the path is paved with love, acceptance, and happiness versus rejection, shame, and fear.

Third, being exposed to representations of gender diversity early on pays massive mental health dividends for those children and teens who don’t identify with strict gender norms. Recent studies suggest that could be up to 25 per cent of our young people. It is no secret that gender-diverse kids and teens have higher rates of depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, and suicide - not because of who they are inherently, but because of how society responds to people who march to the beat of a different drum. When young people know that their families, friends, and communities will accept and embrace them no matter who they are or how they express themselves, they have the best chance to become healthy, secure, and happy individuals. I see it every day.

The bottom line is there is absolutely nothing that confuses children about a drag performer sharing their love of reading. The only thing that might confuse a child is why angry protesters showed up to their story time.

 Dr. Jonathan DellaVedova, Sault Ste. Marie