How drag queen readings became a target for England’s far-right
In footage shared online, anti-vaxxer Michael Chaves is seen berating parents — some of whom are carrying infants — arriving for Drag Queen Story Hour UK, an event at which books promoting compassion and inclusion are read to children. Chaves goes on to falsely accuse Sab Samuel, who was performing that day as drag queen Aida H Dee, of being a pedophile. CNN has reached out to Chaves for comment; he has not responded. He told local newspaper It has coincided with a wider movement to curtail rights related to bodily autonomy, ranging from Ondrak is concerned that conspiracy groups, which gained large followings during the pandemic, are now pivoting towards LGBTQ targets using “groomer” narratives.”I genuinely thought what would be happening next (is) some kind of opposition towards the green energy transition, but that kind of fell out of the public discourse — so unfortunately, the queer community has become their target,” he said. CNN has seen at least four anti-vax Telegram channels, including one boasting more than 17,000 followers, sharing flyers and posts to protest against Drag Queen Story Hour. When asked why groups that appear to facilitate hate speech are allowed to operate on their platform, a Telegram spokesperson said: “Telegram is a platform for free speech where people are welcome to peacefully express their opinions, including those we do not agree with.” The spokesperson added that “posts that glorify or encourage violence or its perpetrators are explicitly forbidden by Telegram’s terms of service and are removed by our moderators.”As to the White nationalist groups attending the protests, such as Patriotic Alternative, Squirrell from ISD described them as “deeply homophobic.” They believe that “White people are being systematically replaced by non-White people in Western countries,” he said. They say a “shadowy cabal of Jews” are encouraging White people to adopt queer identities as a way of reducing the White birth rate — views rooted in neo-Nazi ideology — Squirrell added.In response to CNN’s request for comment, a spokeswoman for Patriotic Alternative said: “Drag queens are often highly sexualized caricatures of women and we believe that children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood and should not be subjected to LGBT indoctrination.”Two days after the events in Reading, in the northern English town of Crewe, members of Patriotic Alternative picketed a library which was hosting a Drag Queen Story Hour UK event. The group’s leader later promised more demonstrations against Samuel’s summer tour of dozens of libraries across the country. The protests continued last Thursday, when Samuel visited libraries in Bristol, a city in southwestern England known for its liberal attitudes. Rosie, a local parent who asked CNN not to use her last name out of fear for her safety, told CNN she decided to take her young daughter to the event because she thought it was important to learn about inclusivity and different communities. “I love drag queens, I think it is fun, it is art, it is a laugh, and something different that involves books and stories,” she said. But Rosie said she was unprepared for the vitriol she encountered at the library, where protesters waved signs reading “Stop grooming children” and a line of police officers ushered parents into the building. At least one mother was crying inside as protesters played the theme song to British TV show “Jim’ll Fix It,” whose late host was a notorious child sexual abuser, on loudspeakers outside the library. “It was just horrible. I was expecting it to be a joyous thing, considering it had been Pride a couple of weeks ago in Bristol.” Instead, she said the harassment by protesters was “very backwards and (I feel) naive to think there’s been any progress.”
