In a welcome video for students and parents that was posted on its official Facebook page, Portland Public Schools chose to put gender ideology front and center—by leading with a drag queen.
The welcome video is introduced by “Dr. Poison Waters,” an obvious man who appears onscreen in a ridiculously over-the-top sequined red dress along with several pounds of fake diamonds looped around his neck and ears and a gargantuan auburn wig adorning his head.
“I’m here to wish you all a successful 2026, 2027 school year and to thank all the amazing principals, teachers, and staff for your dedication to your students and their learning,” Waters tells incoming students. “While we can often get caught up in the hustle and bustle, it’s so important to remember that together we rise with excellence and purpose.”
“Dr. Poison Waters” who is described in an onscreen caption as an “Advocate, educator, and host” is in fact one Kevin Cook, a frequent drag performer in the Portland area. Cook’s main claim to being an educator is having taught a non-credit class on the history of drag at Portland Community College. And that doctorate? Portland State awarded him an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2025.
The video also features other Oregon notables including Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (a Democrat), Senator Jeff Merkley (another Democrat), Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (also a Democrat), Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (yet another Democrat) and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson (you guessed it, a Democrat) accompanied by a few non-politicians such as Portland Timbers Goalkeeper James Pantemis, and Dr. Charlene Williams, the director of Oregon’s Department of Education.
Williams closes out the six-minute video by stating, “So here’s to a year full of growth, full on connection, and full of radical joy. PPS, are you ready?”
Citizens commenting on the video did not hold back. “It’s like watching the introduction to the Hunger Games,” commented Facebook user Devin Hosking on the post, noting Cook’s resemblance to franchise character Effie Trinket who is known for her flamboyant fashions.
“Whenever I question if us moving to Tennessee was the right choice, something like this shows up,” commented former Oregonian Patrick Brost. “Thanks for the reminder.”
Numerous other commentators questioned whether the video was in fact satire. Sadly, it is not.
Heritage Foundation Education Research Fellow Corey DeAngelis was equally harsh in his criticism.
“Portland Public Schools’ back-to-school video is beyond parody,” he told Fox News. “The government school system is trying to groom young impressionable minds into gender ideology. They want to brainwash other people’s kids and replace their families. The school system has overstepped their boundaries and needs to stay in its lane. The public school system is rubbing it in that they have control over children whether the parents like it or not. Kids don’t belong to the government. Parents are responsible for passing down values to their children, not government schools.”
“That wasn’t an accident. It was a choice. And it tells you exactly where the district’s priorities are,” added Sonja Shaw, a Republican candidate for California superintendent of public education. “Public schools exist to educate children in reading, writing, math, science and critical thinking. They are not stages for adult entertainment or ideological and cultural signaling.”
Nor would drag queen “Dr. Poison Waters” disagree that his appearance kicking off the video was a deliberate attempt to insert radical ideology into the educational environment.
“The very essence of what we do is activism,” he states in a profile published by Portland State University Magazine. “At its very core, we are doing what people across the country are telling us to not do, and we are not listening to that. We’re actually doing the opposite. It’s always been this way.”
Portland Public Schools is well-known as a bastion of radical gender ideology. The school district went so far as to ban a student’s mother from school grounds after she dared to question the promotion of gender ideology in her child’s elementary school.
That mother, Allison Roberts, filed a lawsuit last month against Portland Public Schools alleging that the school illegally retaliated against her after she criticized the pro-trans curriculum.
In particular, Roberts opposed the repainting of a traditional rainbow pride flag at her child’s school, Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, into a “Progress Pride Flag” which prominently features colors meant to honor “anti-racist” and transgender ideology.
She was also horrified that her child received an “identity flower” assignment that encouraged students to name and discuss their gender identity in class. She was not given prior notice of the assignment.
Portland Public Schools has so far refused to comment publicly on Roberts’ lawsuit but their use of a drag queen to kick off their welcome back to school video sends a very clear message indeed.