Drag Queen Story Hour UK founder explains why International Drag Day is vital: ‘Drag has influenced the world’
Founder of Drag Queen Story Hour UK Aida H Dee has set their sights on making drag international. (Drag Queen Story Hour)
Aida H Dee, the founder of Drag Queen Story Hour UK, has said International Drag Day is more important than ever in the wake of an increase in drag and trans-related hate.
“Drag has influenced the world more than I think people would like to give [it] credit for,” they told PinkNews, adding that “the very first people to stand up for rights are drag artists and trans people”.
International Drag Day, celebrated on 16 July each year, was founded by Adam Stewart in 2009. The day celebrates all things drag globally and aims to share the creativity and culture of drag.
Aida, whose real name is Sab Samuel, has become synonymous with Drag Queen Story Hour UK, which brings together drag artists to perform educational storytelling shows for families.
International Drag Day “should be celebrated all year around”, they said, and is important for not only celebrating the “fabulous type of theatrical performance” but also to raise awareness “that there’s quite a lot of hate that exists when it comes to queer culture” – especially against drag artists and transgender people.
“Drag has always been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ rights and it always will be,” Aida stated.
Drag Queen Story Hour UK celebrates International Drag Day at the US embassy
Aida’s first memory of seeing drag was in the hit 1993 Robin Williams film Mrs Doubtfire, which they describe as “extremely child friendly, innocent and the perfect type of family entertainment”.
Their love of drag grew from there, as did their career in the industry, with Drag Queen Story Hour UK even visiting the US embassy in London on Saturday (13 July).
The performance marked “the first time drag queen story hour has ever happened in an embassy,” which was an important statement at a time where some US states, including Texas, Montana and Tennessee, have attempted to ban drag, and particularly ahead of November’s presidential election.
The award-winning author, who was named local leader of the year by PinkNews in 2022, has faced their fair share of hate.
In May, Aida was threatened with being “cut up and thrown into the River Mersey” if they were to return to Liverpool to read to children and their families.
That same month, they endured slurs being yelled at them just hours after they had proposed to their partner. Countering the person’s abuse led to Aida being punched and left with a broken jaw.
“It left me wanting to do Drag Queen Story Hour and to fight for a basic acceptance,” they reflected.
The attack also left their partner, who Aida described as previously “oblivious” to hate, worried about people’s perceptions, with the pair often feeling conscious about holding hands in public.
But Aida won’t be letting that keep them from Drag Queen Story Hour UK; the event is booked for a week’s run at the Underbelly Festival in Cavendish Square, London, from 20 to 26 August.
Aida explained that living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism has also enabled them to filter out a lot of the hate.
“I am an autistic ADHD drag queen and my ADHD keeps me going and my [autism] keeps me happy,” they shared.
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