Parents outraged after Drag Queen speaks at Career Day

A student at Rocky Top Middle School in Colorado invited drag queen Ms. Jessica to speak at Career Day and many parents are calling her visit inappropriate for children.

“I was pretty appalled. I was pretty surprised. It was a shock because no one was notified,” parent Jen Payer told Fox Denver 31.

Those who spoke at the event gave presentations regarding their profession and its relation to literacy. Jessica spoke on bullying and said she used the opportunity to teach these students differences are okay.

“I had a couple kids that were like, 'I’m gay in school and I get bullied every week and I don’t know what to do and just talking to you helped me realize that I can still be me and still be happy,'” Jessica said.

Yet, parents were still outraged and felt frustrated with the school and its administration.

“This person is an adult entertainer and is talking to 12-year-old students about something that’s adult nature,” parent Heather Rogers said.

Many parents felt they should have been notified and if they were they wouldn't have allowed their child to attend Career Day.

Principal Chelsea Behanna said Jessica’s visit displays the diversity of the community, but later apologized for not telling parents beforehand.

“I take responsibility for not notifying families ahead of time and apologize for any stress this has caused you and your child," Behanna said."Moving forward, a prominent step in planning for next year will be to share the guest list for all families prior to the event.”

Despite the negative feedback, Jessica said she will continue educating children and speaking at schools if they invite her.

“I want to go to more elementary schools because of this experience at Rocky Top. I’ve already reached out to a couple people about how to develop a Ted Talk,” Jessica said.

Copyright The Gayly. 10/23/2018 @ 12:52 p.m. CST.