A group of concerned parents disrupted a performance of Drag Queen Story Hour in Britain on Tuesday, accusing the touring troupe of trying to “groom” young children.
The first instalment of a nation-wide Drag Queen Story Hour tour of nearly 70 performances across the UK was disrupted by a group of angered parent protesters at a library in Reading, England. The show was hosted by Sab Samuel [pictured above), an autistic 27-year-old man, who performs in heavy drag as ‘Aida H Dee’.
According to its website, Drag Queen Story Hour UK says that it provides “fun and interactive kids shows with amazing and talented drag performers!”
“Drag Queen Story Hour UK wants to show the world that being different is not a bad thing, and by providing imaginative role models for children to look up to, we can change the world book by book!”
Confronting Samuel on Tuesday, one mother said: “You’re probably teaching kids that there’s 100 genders, there’s only two sexes, no man can be a woman. We’re here to protect children.”
“You’re allowing child grooming to take place, this is disgusting,” another mother was heard in footage posted on social media.
The women were escorted out of the library by security and police officers who attended the scene, and who had gathered in their dozens to stand guard at the event in the face of protesters who had reportedly promised to perform a citizen’s arrest on Samuel, who was later escorted as police created a human wall to block him from protesters.
Commenting on the incident, senior researcher at the Family Education Trust charity, Piers Shepherd, told The Telegraph: “It is a matter of concern that police resources will be used in this way when there are so many pressing problems in need of their attention.
“The simple solution to this problem is for councils to call off the grossly age-inappropriate Drag Queen Story Hour and restore the local library to its proper place as a family friendly environment.”
Meanwhile, another Drag Queen Story Hour performance in Walthamstow was attended by Labour MP Stella Creasy, who has previously come under criticism for saying that some women are “born with penises” earlier this year.
Creasy said: “What a lovely afternoon with Drag Story Hour UK today with the wonderful Greta who put so much energy into story telling and entertaining local children – Proud too that Walthamstow a community that welcomes and celebrates pride with the Morris Gallery in this lovely way!”
Replying to the post, fellow Labour Party MP Nadia Whittome added: “This is so wholesome.”
Previous pressure campaigns have shut down hyper-sexualised performances for children in Britain. Earlier this year, for example, the “Family Sex Show“, which featured nude actors and sought to inform children as young as five years old about topics such as masturbation and “queerness” was forced to shut down after massive backlash from the public.
Last year, Breitbart London revealed that the Labour-run council in Redbridge had hosted a performer dressed as a rainbow monkey with a giant dildo strapped to the front of the costume to educate children at the “Summer Reading Challenge”. The local council cut ties with the LGBT carnival troupe and apologised to parents after the exposure.
Defending the sexualised show for children, Drag Queen Story Hour UK said that all performers undergo a criminal background check before being placed with children.
“The drag queen, after finishing the story hour, had to be escorted out of the library by the police to the next story hour show in Tilehurst Library. Numerous messages of support have been sent to the performer and Aida is safe,” the group said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Reading Borough Council said that the Drag Queen Story Hour classes were “age-appropriate” adding that it was a “ticketed event and all parents attending were aware of the nature of the performance. It is regretful that some people chose not to respect parental choice.”
Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka
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