New Jersey’s influential teachers union, which has thrown its support behind Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the upcoming governor’s race, will host a “woke” event just two days after next month’s election celebrating “the vibrant world of drag.”
The event, dubbed **“Drag is not a Crime: The Past, Present, and Future of Drag,”** will be part of the 200,000-member New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) union’s annual convention in Atlantic City. Notably, the convention’s graphic lists “equity” and “justice” ahead of “learning.”
The NJEA Consortium, a project bankrolled by the union that describes itself as “on a mission to put diversity and representation at the forefront of curriculum development,” lists the drag event on its calendar for the weekend conference, which draws thousands of educators from the Garden State and beyond.
“This presentation explores drag’s history, cultural significance, and future, showing how it serves as art, resistance, and activism challenging norms, advancing LGBTQ+ rights, and promoting social justice and community,” the event’s description reads.
Other programs scheduled by the consortium during the conference include similarly themed sessions such as **“Beyond Awareness: Cultivating Equity Centered Schools through Action”** and **“Teaching Palestine.”**
In September, all 125 members of the NJEA’s PAC Operating Committee endorsed Sherrill as the race with Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli has shifted from a runaway favorite Democrat to virtually neck-and-neck.
“Drag might not be a crime, but looking the other way while 80% of third graders in some of New Jersey’s schools can’t read at grade level should be,” Ciattarelli strategist Chris Russell said in a statement to The Post.
He continued, “The NJEA and far-left politicians like Mikie Sherrill could care less about education or teachers. The NJEA’s core mission is preserving political power, pushing an extreme ‘woke’ agenda on young children, and propping up out-of-touch politicians like Mikie Sherrill who vote against parental rights.”
“When Jack Ciattarelli is Governor, parents are back in charge and the NJEA is in timeout,” Russell added.
The Sherrill campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
The NJEA, headed by failed New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Sean Spiller, has previously promoted drag-focused events at its annual gathering for public school teachers. This included a “historic convention first” drag queen story hour in 2022.
During that event, drag queens Astala Vista and Vinchelle hosted an **“LGBTQIA+ Banned Books Drag Queen Story Hour”** where they answered questions from the audience, took photos with NJEA members, and read books such as *And Tango Makes Three*, *Prince and Knight*, and *I Am Jazz*.
*I Am Jazz*, published in 2014, tells the story of a transgender child’s struggle from the age of two, featuring the experience of having “a girl brain but a boy body.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/27/us-news/nj-teachers-union-backing-sherrill-to-host-drag-queen-event-after-election/
