Published: Less than 20 min ago
SD’s party leader Jimmie Åkesson is critical of fairytale moments with drag artists.
He doesn’t think they should read to children.
– I think there is a sexualization in that, he says in Ekot’s Saturday interview.
Several Sweden Democratic politicians have previously criticized municipal cultural events where drag artists in libraries read fairy tales to children.
Even the party’s leader Jimmie Åkesson says Ekot’s Saturday interview that he is critical of it.
– I think there is a sexualization in this. You dress in a special way that alludes to sex. They call themselves things that allude to sexuality. I have no problem with it, it can even be entertaining with drag shows and such, he says, and continues:
– But when reading fairy tales to children, you have to be very careful not to cross that line.
Threats to libraries
Locally, the fairy-tale moments with drag artists have become a much-debated topic among Sweden Democrats.
The concept, called Drag Story Hour, came to Sweden in 2017. But in the past year, several libraries have received threats and hate in connection with the events.
– There is a certain party that crosses the line when it comes to the principle of arm’s length distance, and that is the Sweden Democrats. The fact that people go to the Drag Story Hour has also increased after the election, Karin Linder, secretary general of the Swedish Library Association, has previously said.
The library in Olofström has previously chosen to keep the storytimes digital, while Malmö’s city library has brought in guards to be able to conduct them in a safe manner.
In mid-October, SD member Jonathan Sager asked the city council in Kalmar if they intended to act to cancel the “disgusting” event.
Want to see more political influence over culture
Furthermore, Jimmie Åkesson says that he believes that the most democratic thing would be to give politicians more influence over the tax-financed culture.
– Fundamentally, I do not think that politicians should not decide content in the media or in cultural life. But at the same time, if we now have tax-financed culture, it will never be free. Then I think the most democratic thing is to still let the elected officials have an influence on what kind of culture is to be financed in terms of taxes, he says in the Saturday interview.