Drag Queen Story Hour event cancelled after bomb threat
Drag Story Hour events have faced increasingly backlash from far-right groups. (Getty)
A Drag Queen Story Hour had to be cancelled at the weekend after officials received a bomb threat.
The event was due to take place at the public library in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Saturday (12 October).
According to The Boston Globe, Somerville city council president Ben Ewen-Campen said the threat led to the building being evacuated and reopened only after authorities had “swept” the facility.
“We can’t let things like this take away our ability to just live our lives and be the people we are. It’s incredibly infuriating for people to go out of their way just to ruin a bunch of families’ Saturday,” he said.
Police were aware the event would be opposed by anti-LGBTQ+ protestors, but the bomb threat was unexpected.
Videos have circulated on social media showing a group of protestors who opposed the event being outnumbered by those supporting the story hour. Photos on Reddit appear to show a scuffle between the two groups.
Taking to Facebook, Christine H Doherty, the director of operations for right-wing organisation Super Happy Fun America, celebrated the cancellation of the event.
“I am thrilled to announce that the Drag Queen Story Hour for children ages four to eight at the Somerville Public Library was cancelled. Victory!” she wrote without mentioning the bomb threat.
A spokesperson for Boston Democratic Socialists of America said: “We stand unflinchingly against the conservatives menacing our community. Our endorsed city councillors, Willie Burnley Jr and J T Scott, are champions for the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Right-wing hatred [has] no place in Somerville, Boston, or anywhere.”
The incident follows Somerville mayor Katjana Ballantyne announcing that the city had employed a private security contractor to protect the library.
“Hate has no place here in Somerville. When any one of us is hurt, we’re all hurt, so it’s just not acceptable,” she told WCVB-TV.
‘It sparks a fire in me’
Similar events have faced an increased number of bomb threats in recent times. In the UK, the founder of Drag Queen Story Hour UK, Aida H Dee, told PinkNews that the show’s first bomb hoax in July spurred them on to keep fighting, saying: “It’s scary to know people like this still exist. [But], if anything, it sparks a fire in me to organise more events.”
In New Jersey last year, an event went ahead at an LGBTQ+ community centre despite it being subject to a threat.
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