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A group of men allegedly part of Proud Boys have stormed a Drag Queen story time at a San Francisco library shouting homophobic and transphobic threats.
Several wore shirts emblazoned with assault rifles as they barged into the library around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
They hurled insults at the act Panda Dulce as he read to kids who were only in preschool and kindergarten during the controversial event.
It comes amid increasing questions in some circles over drag queens hosting events such as readings or dances with young children.
Last week Florida Governor Ron DeSantis threatened to set child protective services on parents who take their kids to such shows.
His comments were sparked amid uproar at children being taken to a Dallas gay bar to watch a drag show where they tucked cash into their clothing.
A group of men allegedly part of the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys barged into the library around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday where Bay Area drag queen Panda Dulce was reading to preschoolers and kindergarteners during one of the library’s Pride Month events
Panda Dulce said the incident is pushing organizers to enhance security measures at similar events, even ones meant for children and families
They disrupted a Drag Queen story time at the library by shouting homophobic and transphobic threats at the event’s host, Panda Dulce
Kyle Chu, also known as drag queen Panda Dulce, who hosted the story hour, posted on Instagram that the group disrupted the event, shouting ‘tranny’ and ‘pedophile.’
The disruption ‘totally freaked out all of the kids’ and the group ‘attempted to escalate to violence,’ he wrote.
Deputies responded to the San Lorenzo Library following reports of a disturbance, Lt. Ray Kelly with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. An ‘active hate crime investigation’ is now underway, as well as an investigation into the ‘annoying and harassing of children.’
No arrests have been made, no one was physically harmed, the sheriff’s office added.
The library told KNTV that the guests and the host were safely removed from the situation but returned, adding that nothing is stopping them from celebrating Pride Month.
However, Panda Dulce said the incident is pushing organizers to enhance security measures at similar events, even ones meant for children and families.
‘The men made homophobic and transphobic remarks against a member of the LGTBQ+ community who was hosting the event,’ the sheriff’s office said in a news release. ‘There was no physical violence. Deputies responded to the disturbance and are conducting follow up to identify the group of men and their affiliation.’
The sheriff’s office added that, ‘The men were described as extremely aggressive with a threatening violent demeanor causing people to fear for their safety. Deputies responded to the scene and were able to de-escalate the situation.’
‘It appears the group of men may be affiliated with the Proud Boys organization,’ said Kelly, adding that the five men involved were wearing the black and yellow colors associated with the far-right group.
Kelly said the sheriff´s office plans to post deputies at future story-hour events at the library ‘to deal with any disruptors.’
The event’s host, Dulce, released a statement to KNTV on Sunday and said that she immediately froze and the first thoughts that came across her mind — ‘Is it an ambush? Are they armed? And the massacre in Uvalde, Texas’ — adding that’s when she said that she realized they were defenseless.
‘I eventually got out. I’m safe. I’ll be fine,’ wrote Dulce. ‘Drag queen story hours have always seen protestors. And I’ve always received hate mail. But today hit different.’
The Drag Queen Story Hour is described on its website as ‘just what it sounds like – drag queens reading stories to children in libraries, schools, and bookstores.’
The program was created by author Michelle Tea in San Francisco in 2015. While Drag Queen Story Hour has received positive reaction from many, they have also received backlash and have been targeted by anti-LGBTQ, far-right extremists.
DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real.’
Kyle Chu, also known as drag queen Panda Dulce, who hosted the story hour, posted on Instagram that the group disrupted the event, shouting ‘tranny’ and ‘pedophile’
Proud Boys barged into the San Lorenzo Library around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday
Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) originated in San Francisco California in 2015. It has grown and now takes places in several libraries worldwide. Pictured: Brooklyn New York May 2022
A drag performer from Drag Story Hour NYC reading to children at an event. Parents told the New York Post that the events happened at their children’s school often without parental consent
One witness described the chaotic scene to KNTV.
‘They came in and they were screaming about like pedophilia, saying things like ‘We have to save the children’ and I mean, they were terrifying the children,’ the witness said.
The incident comes after similar disruptions at Pride Month events across the nation.
In Idaho, more than two dozen members of a white supremacist group ‘Patriot Front’ were arrested near a Pride event after police say they were planning to disrupt a parade while equipped with riot gear.
Police say the 31 Patriot Front members had riot gear and were seen loading people into a U-Haul at a hotel parking lot in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Multiple Bay Area officials decried the disruption at Saturday’s event.
‘Today while on a plane back to Washington, DC, I learned about an attack in our community by members of the Proud Boys,’ Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) said.
‘We must reject this hate and extremism whenever it shows itself, which is why I will be returning home this Thursday to meet with law enforcement and the community. There is no place for this hate in the East Bay, and we all need to speak up with one voice in saying so.’
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) decried the disruption at Saturday’s event
Senator Scott Wiener tweeted about the incident calling it ‘direct results of political attacks on LGBTQ people’
‘We strongly condemn this act of hate aimed at harming members of our community and our allies,’ according to a statement by multiple Bay Area officials released on Sunday.
‘We are living in a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack across several states in our nation, and sadly, even accepting and welcoming places like Alameda County are not exempt from this type of hate. Hate has no place in our community and must be met with decisive action.’
The incident comes as debates and controversies swirl across the country about the role of gender-identity exposure and education to children.
Just last week, a Dallas gay bar threw a pride month event that invited kids to join drag queens on stage beneath a pink neon sign reading ‘It’s not gonna lick itself.’
In March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into a parental rights bill that bans teachers from giving classroom instruction on ‘sexual orientation’ or ‘gender identity’ in kindergarten through third grade.
Speaking at a news conference in Fort Myers Beach Wednesday, Ron DeSantis revealed that he has asked his state to deploy its child protective services to look into the recent phenomenon of parents taking their children to drag shows, after video of kids attending a performance at a Dallas gay surfaced online over the weekend
The Florida governor’s comments were prompted by now viral clips that showed elementary school-aged children dancing alongside men dressed in drag at the Mr. Misster gay club Saturday, beneath a neon sign reading ‘It’s not gonna lick itself’
A drag queen can be seen accepting dollar bills from audience members. Children can be seen handing over cash to the performers too
In April, a Tennessee lawmaker said he would ‘burn’ banned books if he could, as books about gender identity top the lists of banned titles at schools across the country.
In May, a Florida mother sued her daughter’s school after teachers created a ‘transgender support plan’ for her daughter without asking for parental consent.
This month, even Pizza Hut was pulled into the debate after it promoted a children’s book that featured a little boy who dresses in drag.
Also this month, DeSantis moved to ban transition therapies for children and revoke Medicaid support for trans adults’ treatments in Florida.
That includes suspending access to ‘puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries’.
‘Florida must do more to protect children from politics-based medicine,’ wrote state surgeon general Joseph Lapado, who DeSantis appointed to his post in February.
‘Otherwise, children and adolescents in our state will continue to face a substantial risk of long-term harm.’
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