The Houston Public Library hosted story time for kids last September. The ugly twist is that cross-dressing “transexuals” were the ones doing the reading for the “Drag Queen Storytime” series. The newly revealed uglier twist is that one of them is a convicted sex offender — an adult man who assaulted an eight-year-old boy more than a decade ago.

After a private group called Houston MassResistance discovered that dirty little secret, library officials issued a statement saying, “We assure you that this participant will not be involved in any future HPL [Houston Public Library] programs. In our review of our process and of this participant, we discovered that we failed to complete a background check as required by our own guidelines. We deeply regret this oversight and the concern this may cause our customers. We realize this is a serious matter.”

That’s a gross understatement.

The Federalist’s Joy Pullman explains why: “Drag Queen Storytime is spreading to libraries across the country, mostly but not exclusively in deeply Democratic locales. It even has a national PR webpage featuring an image of a scared toddler staring at a man dressed up in drag while the child’s mother encourages the child to get over the apprehension.” Worse, Pullman continues, “Notice that this is the exact opposite of what sexual assault prevention programs teach people to do: pay attention to and act on their feelings of discomfort, rather than overrule them. Child molesters are known for ‘grooming’ potential victims, including by getting them used to ignoring worries and warnings from their consciences, confusing them about what is normal, and accepting increasingly transgressive behavior.”

But that’s the very definition and purpose of Drag Queen Storytime — to teach children to ignore their own internal moral compass, making them easier prey and introducing life-changing dysphoria that otherwise would not have occurred.

It’s not just library hour, either. As our Arnold Ahlert has recounted on more than one occasion, outrageous curriculum is being introduced all over the nation to indoctrinate children — some as young as four — on homosexual behavior and “gender identity.” This includes information on aberrant sexual behavior that adults don’t need, never mind prepubescent children. And it includes outright lies about what it means to be homosexual, like, “If a boy loves a boy, they’re gay.” That is deeply confusing to a young child who otherwise just wants to catch frogs and play tag on the playground with his buddies.

Pullman rightly concludes, “Queering schools and storytimes doesn’t need to involve actual child molesters to pose a clear threat to children.” Indeed, this isn’t education; it’s child abuse.