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Story Hour Drag Queens Respond to Attack at San Lorenzo Library

The Story Hour Drag Queens are part of an international program where drag performers read books to children

An unidentified group linked to the Proud Boys went to a story hour in Panda Dulce Library, San Lorenzo, California, to threaten drag performers and organizers. The Story Hour drag queens managed to finish the reading, but evidently, the hijacking was negatively received both by the drag queens and the children.

It’s ironic how the protesters portray their objective as protecting the children when acts like these only hurt the children themselves. The men invading the story hour used homophobic and transphobic slurs. One of the five invaders wore a T-shirt showing a rifle and the words “Kill Your Local Pedophile.”

Drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess expressed her opinions on the subject, stating how she has to be extra careful about her privacy and safety due to protest outside events and hate mail in her inbox. There’s a growing trend of anti-LGBTQ and racist statements in the United States. Trans kids are being harassed, books with diverse themes banned, and drag queens are labelled as groomers. There’s the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill to add insult to injury.

Story Hour Drag Queens

Story Hour Drag Queens © Tammy Orr Wyant

These protests aren’t limited to California. Many protestors already discriminate and hijack the story hours in other states by harassing the parents attending the libraries. In New York, a group of protesters engaged in prayer outside the library as drag queen Flame entertained the children by singing the ABCs and leading a coloring activity. Outside Chicago, protesters demonized the event staff, calling them the devil’s spawn.

Many drag queens have been doxxed to allow haters to attack them at home or on their private socials. Many of these are constantly bombarded with slurs such as ‘paedophile’, ‘groomer’, ‘pornographer’, and other negative adjectives. 

The story hours were created to entertain children and teach them that being different is okay. The aim of the Drag Queen Story Hour nonprofit started in San Francisco in 2015, is the celebrate reading and creativity. Michelle Tea founded it. While many parents are concerned with the safety of their children, given how these events will be recurrently attacked, others have supported the initiative and will continue bringing their children to the story hours.

On a more positive note, the organizers not only couldn’t care less, but they stated that the story hours would keep going, and they’ll simply double up security.

 

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