Anti-LGBTQ+ Protests Cancel Drag Queen Storytime Event in California

A scheduled Drag Queen Storytime event at the San Fernando Library in California was forced to a stop on Wednesday due to protests from far-right anti-LGBTQ+ groups.

The hostile crowd mobilized through a social media campaign led by groups like Gays Against Groomers California, CA State Coalition, and Leave Our Kids Alone, confronted the event’s featured drag queen reader, Pickle, who had been recognized as the City of West Hollywood’s inaugural Drag Laureate earlier in the year, the Lost Angeles Bladereported.

The protesters, numbering fewer than 60 according to a spokesperson for the City of San Fernando Police, blocked both the front and rear entrances to the library, carrying signs and wearing t-shirts emblazoned with ‘Leave our kids alone.’ The escalating situation led to San Fernando Police escorting Pickle to her car, following which she departed the venue.

Related: Meta Under Fire After Suspending & Reinstating ‘Gays Against Groomers’ on Instagram

Reacting to the disruptive protests, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, who had intended to host the event, released a statement to the Los Angeles Blade.

Horvath said, “Today, my office was set to host a Drag Storytime at the San Fernando Library as part of LGBTQ+ History Month. What was meant to celebrate love and inclusion turned into the opposite.” She described the protesters’ actions as “disgusting tactics” and their attempts to incite violence as “astounding” hypocrisy.

Horvath apologized to the excited families who were denied entry, Pickle for the unfortunate circumstances, and the library staff who were threatened during the confrontation. Expressing her frustration over the incident, she said, “I am heartsick and outraged about what took place.” Horvath reiterated her steadfastness in supporting the LGBTQ+ community: “The protestors’ message and actions today will not win in our continued fight for LGBTQ+ rights and equality. We will continue to build communities where every person is treated with dignity and respect – and diversity is celebrated, not attacked or shamed.”

After the event’s cancellation, the far-right extremists took a victory lap.

“UPDATE: Drag Queen Story-Time at the San Fernando Library was CANCELLED today! More and more people are waking up and drawing a line in the sand - DRAG IS NOT FOR KIDS,” wrote Gays Against Groomers California on X, formerly Twitter.

Gays Against Groomers, one of the protesting groups, is a non-profit entity registered in Wisconsin by Jaimee Michell, aiming to combat what they describe as the “sexualization and indoctrination of children,” albeit their methods have garnered substantial criticism.

The Anti-Defamation League has branded them as an extremist hate group, associating them with other extremist entities like Moms for Liberty and the Proud Boys. The Southern Poverty Law Center also dubbed them “one of the most notable propagators of anti-trans rhetoric.”

Legal troubles for Gays Against Groomers escalated when the Pulaski Community School District in Wisconsin acquired a temporary restraining order against Jose “Rocky” Rodriguez, the leader of the group’s Wisconsin chapter after false claims circulated by a far-right social media account earlier in October.

On October 13, a Brown County Circuit Court commissioner endorsed a four-year restraining order against Rodriguez following a threatening video he posted online against a district staff member.

Michell, known for her prior support for former President Donald Trump, has recently aligned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, causing significant division within Gays Against Groomers and leading to the resignation of co-founder David Leatherwood. The schism followed a homophobic video posted by DeSantis, which didn’t sway Michell’s support for the governor.

Also on Wednesday, Gays Against Groomers was temporarily barred from Instagram, only to be reinstated later without any clarification from Meta, Instagram’s parent company.