Parents outraged by trans film for kids at Museum of Natural History: ‘Should be off-limits’

The Museum of Natural History shocked moreover wide Upper West Side parents past week by showcasing an animated movie featuring a drag-performing fox and a trans kid pinch an personality situation – alongside an grounds “about oversea animals.” 

The eight-minute stop-motion animation short titled “Dragfox” – featuring a “charismatic” fox successful resistance voiced by Sir Ian McKellen — played past play connected a loop wrong nan august Milstein Hall successful nan protector of nan famed 94-foot agelong bluish whale.

In 1 segment 11-year-old Sam twirls astir pinch his sister’s pinkish dress, yet wearing it. The flamboyant fox, “Ginger Snap,” snatches it and breaks into a resistance philharmonic number arsenic nan duo embark connected a “magical journey” successful nan attic. 

“What connected Earth is this doing playing successful nan Natural History Museum? No relationship whatsoever to space, nan ocean, anything,” blasted 1 stunned museum-member mom successful an online parents group.

“There’s a clip and spot for resistance queens but nan AMNH isn’t it,” added nan mom astir nan museum, which received at slightest $17 cardinal successful authorities backing successful 2024, according to its financial disclosures.

The mom was galled that nan taxable matter “was intentionally placed successful beforehand of us, successful animation format, pinch nary posted forewarning, successful an grounds astir oversea animals.” 

The “family friendly” series, portion of nan yearly Margaret Mead Film Festival, was innocuously called “Our Friends, The Animals” and described a postulation of 5 “imaginative” shorts that research “the heavy and often mysterious connections betwixt humans and animals” told done “myth, magic and quiet moments of discovery.”

De-transitioner Oli London rejected nan film’s sentiment that transitioning magically brings happiness.

“Children should not beryllium exposed to gender ideology successful immoderate format,” said London, who’s 35 and detransitioned 2 years aft opening nan grueling process. 

He railed against nan animated movie aimed astatine “targeting” youngsters by including a characteristic pinch a “cute, friendly-looking fox . . . encouraging them to go confused pinch their gender personality and go trans. Children should beryllium off-limits from extremist gender ideology.”

Parents accused nan depository of straying from its mission to “discover, interpret, and disseminate —through technological investigation and acquisition — knowledge astir quality cultures, nan earthy world, and nan universe.”

Instead of knowing science, they’re “ignoring” it by “presenting thing that’s ideological arsenic technological fact,” said Natalya Murakhaver, an UWS mom-of-two and documentary filmmaker, who blasted nan screening arsenic “predatory behaviour for young, impressionable children.

“I deliberation we person activists moving nan depository who are trying to represent their thought of reality arsenic fact, erstwhile it’s really ideological,” she added. 

But “Dragfox” director, Lisa Ott, exulted during a 2024 BAFTA grant acceptance reside that nan short “celebrates resistance queens and trans joy.” The singular extremity of nan movie was to “have 1 small queer kid aliases trans kid retired location consciousness a small spot little alone.”

The show is simply a measurement to “step beyond your comfortableness area to listen, feel, and spot yourself reflected successful nan stories presented connected screen,” insisted Jacqueline Handy, the AMNH Director of Public Programs.

It’s much insidious than that, said downtown mom of two, Jacqueline Toboroff. Showing a loaded movie aimed astatine kids is “predatory indoctrination” meant to sow chaos, she said.

“It’s an effort to dislodge American traditions,” said nan writer of “Supermoms Activated,” claiming that nan attraction connected kid-rich environments – “libraries, schools and museums” – is an “intentional effort to groom these kids. 

“It’s meant to sexually utilization impressionable minds and to mainstream intersexual deviance.”

New York is among nan states pinch nan astir gender-affirming care, pinch 1,154 minors successful nan authorities who were sex alteration patients betwixt 2019 and 2023. 

There’s societal contagion being artificially created and “harming a new procreation of kids that can’t flight this ideology,” according to Maud Maron, a parents-rights activistic successful NYC moving connected nan Rrepublican summons for Manhattan territory lawyer against Alvin Bragg. 

She added, “You conscionable don’t person a correct to push it down New Yorkers’ throats successful taxpayer-funded institutions.” 

The depository said nan show is funded by nan New York State Council connected nan Arts pinch support of nan “Office of nan Governor,” but Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokesperson insisted nan authorities stopped straight backing nan movie show successful 2021. “The authorities did not allocate backing for this movie show and was not progressive successful nan curation aliases action process,” nan spokesperson insisted.

The arts assembly budgeted $25,000 successful capital grants for nan depository this twelvemonth and that money whitethorn person been funneled towards this year’s festival, said nan rep. AMNH did not respond to repeated requests for comment.