Forty protesters clashed with more than 100 LGTBQ+ supporters in a Greenwich Village neighborhood on Sunday to protest a Drag Story read-a-thon hosted by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
The event was held at The Center, an LGBTQA community facility that has already drawn its share of criticism from those who aren’t happy about seeing their tax dollars go to drag queens who read books to kids in a number of locations in the Big Apple, according to the New York Post.
#HAPPENINGNOW Drag Queen Story Hour with Attorney General Letitia James protested at NYC LGBTQ center in Manhattan. One arrest so far from opposer of Drag Queen Story Hour
THREAD pic.twitter.com/oBVwXySI3w
— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) March 19, 2023
The cost to New York City residents for this event was compounded by the need for the City Council’s Sergeant-at-Arms squad to provide extra security for at least six city lawmakers who attended.
“The council security team goes to all these events where the council members go and there’s a chance of someone being hurt,” Councilman Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan) told The Post.
Security wasn’t about to take “any chances,” Bottcher said, because a council member who funded one of the events had his office vandalized and “unwelcome visitors” to his home.
While Bottcher said the Sunday reading inside the facility involved “a couple dozen kids with their families,” outside, videos of dueling chanting demonstrators flooded social media.
“Love wins,” supporters of the event yelled, according to the Daily Mail, as protestors responded, “No, we win! When President Trump becomes president again, he’s going to shut this sh*t down!”
(Video: Daily Mail)
One masked protestor was arrested for allegedly “rattling police barricades,” shoving journalists’ cameras and slapping a supporter, according to the New York Daily News.
“There was at least one community member that was hit in the face,” a witness told the outlet.
A reputed member of the controversial Proud Boys was seen escorted to safety by NYPD motorcycles.
https://twitter.com/ScooterCasterNY/status/1637508550103638019?s=20
At one point, even “Ultra Orthodox Rabbis joined the protesting,” independent journalist Oliya Scootercaster reported on Twitter.
Ultra Orthodox Rabbis joined the protesting outside of the Drag Queen Story Hour event in Manhattan LGBTQ community Center. pic.twitter.com/9LT8c7RIwE
— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) March 19, 2023
The demonstrations come after the abrupt cancellation of a conservative story hour by conservative publisher Brave Books that was to be held down the street from the event at the Women’s National Republican Club.
As BizPac Review reported, a counter-event featuring Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik and Brave Books CEO and founder Trent Talbot was called off after it drew “threats of potentially inappropriate and unsafe behavior.”
“We have received threats of potentially inappropriate and unsafe behavior at the NYC story hour with Chaya Raichik on Sunday and have advised Chaya we cancel the event,” the publisher stated on Friday. “With children being involved, we don’t want to take any chances.”
The announcement was met with immediate scorn on Twitter from those who felt the “Brave” publisher was “bowing to the mob.”
‘Never bow to the mob’: Twitter erupts after ‘Libs of TikTok’ NYC story hour event canceled over threats https://t.co/1qqJahVsjH pic.twitter.com/9oRwU3oOVC
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) March 20, 2023
The Drag Queen Story events are co-sponsored by the non-profit Drag Story Hour NYC, The Post reports. The group has received more than $200,000 in city contracts since 2018.
“The recent rise in anti-LGBTQ+ protests, rhetoric, and policies has left New Yorkers — myself included — devastated and disappointed,” James said in a statement on Sunday. “But I know better than anyone that when the choice is between love and hate, between joy and venom, New Yorkers will always choose love, and New Yorkers will always choose joy.”
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.