ORLANDO, Fla. — The LGBT+ Center Orlando canceled Monday a weekend drag queen story hour for children after receiving online threats from Nazis and other extremist groups, according to the organization’s executive director.
Seventy-five children and their parents bought tickets to the “Drag Queen Story Hour” event with Bridgette Galore Oct. 29 at the Center off Mills Avenue, said George Wallace, the center’s executive director.
“It was sold out,” Wallace said. “But again, safety is first in mind. We don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way, especially kids. ... They don’t need to be subjected to yelling and seeing that type of behavior.”
Wallace said local public officials and the Anti-Defamation League alerted him to online posts where extremist groups planned for 40 to 50 protesters at the event. While the LGBT+ Center has had protesters at other drag queen storytime events, Wallace said he was concerned by the escalating threats.
“We have a church group that protests the center and the local Proud Boys came and were yelling ‘pedophile’ and terrible things at the parents that were bringing their kids in,” he said. “They were at arm’s length, but this Twitter thread that we saw — they’re violent.”
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, whose district includes the Center, said her office contacted law enforcement after learning of the threats.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” Eskamani said of the threats.
While most of the online comments from white supremacists were targeting LGBTQ+ people, Eskamani said she is also concerned for the safety of the Jewish community and communities of color.
“This was clearly part of that rise of homophobia and transphobia that we’re seeing across the country, but you cannot separate that from the antisemitism because these groups oppose anyone who’s different from them,” she said. “... Even though the Center has decided out of an abundance of caution to cancel this event, it doesn’t mean that Nazis are not still coming, and if they’re still coming, they’re potentially going to target another organization, which could be the Holocaust Center.”
“We have to work in (tandem) and be really, really explicit in saying that injustice against any group is injustice against all groups,” the Orlando Democrat added.
Wallace said the organization has dealt with protests in the past by requesting the presence of the Orlando Police Department. The Center has also deployed volunteers with “angel wings” constructed out of PVC pipe and white fabric to block the protesters from past events, Wallace said.
The angel wings, created initially to protect mourners attending the funeral of a Pulse nightclub massacre victim from anti-gay protesters, have also been used at vigils and parades.
OPD spokesperson Andrea Otero said the agency has been in contact with the Center through its LGBTQ+ liaison and will be maintaining a presence in the area Saturday.
Wallace said the Center will do another drag queen story hour in the future despite having to cancel Saturday’s event.
“I don’t want people to think that we’re letting hate win,” he said. “... We won’t stop, even if we have to move it online.”
Wallace added that he wishes people who oppose drag queens reading to children would watch an event before forming an opinion.
“Drag Queen Story Hour is not about sexualization,” he said. “It is reading to children stories about love and acceptance and just being a good person. I think that these people who actually threatened violence could learn a lot from attending one of these events.”
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