NEWS DRAG QUEEN STORYTIMES EDITOR’S NOTE: An increasing By the end of the event, three Jacksonville, Florida number of challenges to free expression more protesters showed up, includ- “Storybook Pride Prom” at Willow- focus on “drag queen storytimes,” where ing frequent Vallejo Times-Herald branch Library in Riverside, sched- the target is usually not the titles, con- letter-to-the-editor writer Ryan uled for Friday, June 28, 2019, was tents, nor authors of any specific books, but Messano, who often rails against cancelled on Monday, June 24, after rather who is reading them. In this version homosexuals and other issues he the library had received hundreds of of storytimes where picture books are read believes are leading the country down phone calls supporting and protesting aloud to children, performers dressed in a negative path. the event. drag (usually men dressed in theatrically One of the counter-protesters was In a switch from a typical drag feminine costumes) try to encourage both a Michael Wilson of Vallejo, aide to queen storytime, in which an adult love of reading and acceptance of diver- Solano County Supervisor Erin Han- dressed in drag reads to young chil- sity. Some of the performers and events are nigan and the city’s second openly gay dren, the Storybook Prom planned affiliated with Drag Queen Story Hour, a Councilman in the early 2000s. to give the hundred teenagers who network of local organizations that began “I’m an advocate of Pride Month signed up a chance to dress as their in San Francisco; others are independent. and the activities going on with favorite book characters, or in drag, Throughout this section, we use the acro- that,” he said. “Supervisor Hannigan for a night of music, dancing, and nym LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, supports the Solano Pride Coali- costumes. transgender, and queer) unless a quoted tion and the good work they do. She Chris Boivin, the library’s assistant source uses a different one. and I advocate for equal rights for all director of community relations and people.” marketing, said the library canceled LIBRARIES Tom Bilbo of the Solano Pride the event over worries about whether Vallejo, California Center said he and several others were the library could provide enough Drag Queen Story Hour at Vallejo’s there to ensure the children who “safety and security for everybody John F. Kennedy Library in Vallejo, wanted to listen to story time were involved.” The library, which hosts California on June 17, 2019, drew able to do so without interference. other LGBTQ events, did not antici- parents and children to hear a book Bilbo said his group recruited pate the responses to its plans for the read by Sacramento resident “Apple Friday’s performer and that anyone Pride Prom, Boivin said. Adams,” while a lone protester with brought to read to children is thor- Prior to the cancellation, Raymond a homemade sign, and a much larger oughly vetted. The drag queen story Johnson, founder of Biblical Concepts number of Solano Pride Center hour is about getting dressed up and Ministries in Jacksonville, encouraged counter-protesters, stood outside. bringing joy to people, he said. people in an email titled “emergency The protester, Don Grundmann The Solano County Library’s dep- alert” to contact city officials and of Santa Clara, said he has formed a uty director, Jessica Jupitus, said story local pastors and demand the event be group called The California Straight hour is a regular event at the library canceled. Pride Coalition, to combat what and this one had no added agenda. Also, Elizabeth Johnston, a popular he said he believes is a movement “It’s a fun thing to do,” she said. blogger and author who goes by “The designed to groom young children to “We want to encourage people to Activist Mommy,” asked her hundreds accept aberrant behavior. come in to the library, and for young of thousands of Facebook followers, a “I go all over the place for this,” children age two to five, dress-up is week before the scheduled “Prom,” to he said. “This is a special kind of evil normal imaginative play, so, to see a call Willowbranch and “express your that must be stopped. The reading is a grown up dressed up, is fun.” disgust that this perversion is taking cover story; it’s about mentally mak- The library system welcomes all place in a taxpayer funded library.” ing the children accept degeneracy as kinds of people for its story hours, Beatrice Palmer, a local drag per- normal.” she said. “We’ve had a race car driver, former who had planned to make an His Vallejo protest was Grund- someone dressed as Supergirl, [and] appearance at the Storybook Prom, mann’s “first foray into the public police officers, read stories,” she said. said that she does not believe security arena,” he said. “But,” he claimed, “We want the community to know was a real issue for the event. branches of his coalition “are spring- it’s for everyone.” Reported in: Vallejo JASMYN, a nonprofit organization ing up all across the country.” Times-Herald, June 17, 2019. for LGBTQ youth, has hosted similar JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM AND PRIVACY _ SUMMER 2019 65 DRAG QUEEN STORYTIMES _ NEWS prom events for the last decade with- “Miss Terra Cotta Sugarbaker and humorous act wasn’t welcomed for the out issues, Palmer said. all of our LGBTQ friends are always children of Alpharetta as it has been “You know how to keep one hun- welcome at Atlanta City Hall. How in Atlanta, especially when the branch dred people in your library safe,” about we host your next story hour? invited him. Palmer said. “It is possible to keep @CityofAtlanta—let’s make it hap- He said he has a right to know on hundred kids safe in a library. But pen! #OneAtlanta,” Bottoms tweeted who is taking issue with him so he when it’s gay children, it becomes a on March 29. can properly defend himself. “By not problem.” Igarashi-Ball, who had been being provided an answer, it feels like When the Florida Times-Union involved in such events at the library discrimination and it feels like people asked the library to comment, Boivin system’s Ponce de Leon Avenue are afraid of the event, which feels said “The primary component, the branch since September 2017, said like homophobia.” real intention . was to make it he received an email in early March He told Project Q Atlanta, “If they’re a prom, and to make it something from Claudia Strange, who handles going to censor my event, what event where kids could discover the library marketing and public relations for the would be next? I feel like libraries in a way they may not have before. Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System. have to be safe spaces and bastions of But in the end,” Boivin added, “the “I was told that the event was freedom of speech, and I feel like this environment may have been too being cancelled by the county and goes against all of that.” Reported tumultuous for us to provide the kind not by the library, and they said that in: Project Q Atlanta, March 27, 2019; of event that we wanted to provide.” it was above the library’s decision,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 1; Boivin said there has not been a Igarashi-Ball said. “I was told that all The Hill, April 4. plan to reschedule the event within of the libraries support the event and the library. Reported in: Florida wanted it to continue, but that the Rockford, Illinois Times-Union, June 25, 2019. county had say over them and that the Rockford Public Library’s first Drag county was cancelling it.” Queen Story Hour, featuring enter- Alpharetta and Atlanta, The event in Alpharetta was to be tainer Cass Downing—a transgen- Georgia the library system’s first drag queen der woman dressed in drag, whose The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library storytime at a suburban branch, out- stage name is Cass Marie Domino— System removed a “Drag Queen Story side of the Atlanta city perimeter. attracted dozens of parents and their Time” from its online calendar of When asked by the Atlanta Jour- small children to the library’s East events, cancelling without explana- nal-Constitution, neither library nor Branch on June 22, 2019, for stories tion the evert that had been sched- county officials explained why the and songs celebrating diversity and uled for April 6, 2019. It allowed the event was dropped from the calendar. inclusion. metro Atlanta drag queen Steven Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez, a Outside the library, well over one Igarashi-Ball, who performs in drag spokesperson for the library system hundrd protesters lined East State mostly for charity as Miss Terra Cotta (which includes the Alpharetta and Street, reciting prayers and carry- Sugarbaker, to reschedule it for April Ponce de Leon libraries), sent the ing signs condemning the event. 27 at the library system’s Alpharetta Journal-Constitution a statement similar A smaller but vocal contingent of branch—but without any promotion to the one she gave Atlanta LGBTQ counter-protesters were also on hand, by the library, nor by the county that magazine Project Q Atlanta, which first to support the Drag Queen Story funds the library. Other storytime reported the story: “We appreciate Hour. events remain on the library system’s the community support for the Drag Several police officers, including public calendar. Queen Story Time event, which has Chief Dan O’Shea, maintained order When the event was rescheduled, been successful and well received at in the parking lot as the two groups Igarashi-Ball said, the 180 spaces filled the Ponce de Leon Library.