A group of angry protesters gathered outside a Manhattan library that was hosting a Drag Story Hour event Saturday. Protesters hurled obscenities and insults outside the event at the Andrew Heiskell Library in the Chelsea neighborhood, according to a video shared by a city council member in support of the event.
Saturday’s story hour was specifically geared to be accessible to children with autism and other disabilities.
The protesters held signs that read “Stop the nonsense. There are only 2 genders,” “Stop grooming kids for sex” and “Let kids be kids” while shouting expletives and giving the middle finger, a video posted by Council Member Erik Bottcher shows.
“Today I witnessed pure hatred and bigotry outside Drag Queen Story Hour at a public library in Chelsea,” Bottcher said Saturday. “Inside, I witnessed a loving and peaceful reading of children’s books to kids.”
Opposite the foul-mouthed group, a band of counter-protesters sang “Thank God for the drag queens” and formed a human chain in front of the library’s entrance to block the anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrators from disrupting the event, according to the footage.
“A group of protesters attempted to disrupt a Drag Story Hour for neurodiverse children. The story hour went on as planned, including readings, coloring activities and a ‘dance party’ at the end,” a spokesperson for the New York Public Library said in a statement.
Videos posted to Twitter show people outside the library clashing, with at least one person being shoved to the ground, as cops tried to keep the peace.
Critics of these drag queen storytime events suggest that the organizers are sexual “grooming” children to partake in LGBTQ activities.
“A group of protesters attempted to disrupt a Drag Story Hour for neurodiverse children. The story hour went on as planned, including readings, coloring activities and a ‘dance party’ at the end,” a spokesperson for the New York Public Library said in a statement.
Videos posted to Twitter show people outside the library clashing, with at least one person being shoved to the ground, as cops tried to keep the peace.
Both the NYPD and New York Public Library security were on the scene to manage the conflict. There were no reported injuries or property damage and no arrests.
Watch the video report below for more details:
