A recent drag queen workshop for seventh graders in Sutton, Massachusetts has raised questions about why schools aren’t conducting mandatory background checks on the controversial performers.
Maureen Graves, a local police dispatcher and one of many residents who have publicly opposed the workshops, said at a recent school board meeting that the Sutton superintendent confirmed to her that the hired drag queen “Diva D” did not undergo the state’s CORI check required for any adult working around children.
CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information.
Ms. Graves pointed out that she always had to undergo a CORI check anytime she voluntarily read to schoolchildren.
“Where are we going, folks?” Ms. Graves said. “We’re in dangerous territory here.”
Sutton Superintendent Kimberly Roberts-Mirandi did not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times.
Diva D, whose real name is David Higginbottom, also did not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times.
According to various websites and social media platforms including Libs of TikTok—where the controversy and pictures of Mr. Higginbottom at the Sutton drag queen workshop has gone viral—he performs routinely in the Worcester area at adult drag queen shows.
In some of the pictures, a confirmed member of Pride Worcester is present filming the student workshop.
It was part of a school event on diversity and inclusion called Connection Conference 2024, which included invitations to students from 56 other schools. According to its website, more than 600 middle and high school students attended.
A video showcasing the workshop includes a student interviewing other students about their preferred pronouns.
Other offerings included a presentation by Kai Shappley, a biological boy turned transgender activist at the age of 5.
Now 12, Kai made headlines when he announced on social media that his mother was fleeing Texas because it wasn’t safe for transgender children.
The promotional listing for the drag queen workshop, which was offered on two separate days, invited students to “Join First Majesty of the Pride Royal Court, drag queen extraordinaire, Diva D.
‘Drag Brings Joy’
“In this workshop you will discover more about the art of drag. Drag is not a crime, but it is an outlet for creativity and empowerment. Learn how Drag brings joy to our lives and can fulfill our creative purpose.”Pictures of the workshop provided to The Epoch Times by opponents of the drag queen workshop depict Mr. Higginbottom dressed in a short, pink mini skirt and visible lace underwear. One picture shows him standing on top of desks.
Ms. Graves told the school board that as part of the workshop, he had students pick a drag queen name and that when he arrived, he made a lewd comment about women’s breasts.
Long-time Sutton resident Cindy King told The Epoch Times that she heard he had used a word that begins with the letter “T” as part of the comment about women’s breasts.
“This is not about gender identity,” said Ms. King, “this is about inappropriateness and safety of our kids.”
Tracy Griffin, another resident who raised concerns at the April 11 school board meeting against the drag queen event, said she was in disbelief upon learning that no CORI check was run on the performer.
“It’s just going down the wrong path for our children,” she said.
No one has suggested Mr. Higginbottom has a criminal background.
Michael King, Director of Community Alliances at the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI), told The Epoch Times that this shouldn’t matter since the majority of people who undergo CORIs don’t have a record.
“It’s a safety net. It’s to keep children safe, something the schools seem to have no interest in when it comes to drag queen performers,” he said. “You can’t even sweep the hallways at a school without a CORI check.”
Background checks have proven effective in turning up questionable backgrounds of drag queens hired to participate in school and children’s events.
In February, a drag queen who is part of the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” group was arrested in Wisconsin on suspected ties to child pornography and on alleged allegations of sexual exploitation of a child after he had been working for more than a year as a theater director for middle school children.
Laurie Kench, a former CORI coordinator in Newburyport, Massachusetts for a school soccer program, told The Epoch Times that there is an inexplicable reluctance by schools to take precautions when it comes to drag queens.
Ms. Kench, who is president of Citizens for Responsible Education (CRE), said school officials repeatedly dodged requests from the group for proof of a background check on a drag queen who had hosted a high school dance billed as an “Over The Rainbow” party.
An Unusually Speedy Report?
When CRE filed a record request, the school provided a redacted copy of the performer’s report. Ms. Kench said the date on the report suggested it was requested and completed all in one day, which was unusual, she said. CORIs take seven to 10 days to complete, she said.An Epoch Times investigation into the drag queen performer turned up videos of him promoting drug use and performing lewd acts.
“I am not sure why schools think it’s okay to have adult entertainers, especially ones with questionable backgrounds, around our kids,” said Ms. Kench.
Some officials say they are not obligated to run background checks.
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project conducted an investigation into criminal backgrounds of drag queens.
One finding: At the Washington D.C. Public Library, one of the largest public library systems in the U.S., officials told the group that it doesn’t run background checks on men dressed in drag who read to young children during libraries’ weekly drag queen story hours because they aren’t city employees, just contractors.
In 2022, MassResistance, a parents group, got a similar response when it asked the Reading, Massachusetts Public Library if it had conducted background checks for their “Drag Kings, Queens, and Friends” story hours. The events were advertised for infants to 11-year-olds.
According to a transcript posted on the group’s website, the library director told MassResistance Director Arthur Schraper during a phone interview that CORIs are not required for drag queens because they “do not work for the library.”
In 2019, Alexa Newman, who has served on various committees with the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), wrote a blog entitled “Running Background Checks On Outside Performers,” in which she called it a “no brainer” to run background checks on adults performing around kids.
Further contradictions come from legal experts as well.
In Massachusetts, the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service and Suffolk University Law School concluded in an analysis of the state’s CORI law that “entities that provide direct services to children, the elderly, or other vulnerable populations are required to conduct CORI checks before hiring or accepting volunteers.”
Ms. Kench and Mr. King point out that the statute that mandates CORIs specifically states that it applies to “volunteers.” So even if they are not employees, it still applies, they said.
“Saying otherwise is just an excuse,” added Mr. King.
According to a recent follow-up article by the Heritage Foundation’s news outlet The Daily Signal, one of the men on the Washington, D.C. library’s contract roster for drag queen story hour had served prison time on multiple drug convictions.
In its investigation into drag queens being hired for children’s events, MassResistance also discovered that a drag queen hired by the Houston Public Library was a registered sex offender.
