With the far right ascendant in Texas politics, once-marginal ideas and people have found a place in the political mainstream. Our Fringe Factor series is an introduction to the often-unknown, but influential activists, thinkers and operatives who play a growing role in shaping the state. This is the final edition of Fringe Factor.
The backlash started soon after the Leander Public Library announced Valeri Abrego as one of the readers for its mid-June Pride-themed story hour. Conservatives trying to stop the event began scouring the internet for the raunchiest photos they could find of Abrego and circulating them throughout the Austin suburb. A mother, grandmother, and longtime member of Austin’s drag community, Abrego had been scheduled to read books to children as her hypermasculine alter ego, Papi Churro. Officials canceled the event days after receiving a 57-page compilation of Abrego’s Facebook and Instagram posts, many of them from old burlesque shows.
