Summer recess is here and MPs are competing for the Tory leadership or jetting off on their hols. For some, though, they prefer to remain in their constituencies. Stella Creasy, the right-on MP for Walthamstow Central, chose to go to ‘Drag Story Hour UK’ with her infant son. She wrote on Twitter yesterday that she had ‘a lovely afternoon’ with ‘the wonderful Greta who put so much energy into story telling and entertaining local children.’ Her colleague Nadia Whittome replied by saying ‘this is so wholesome.’
Yet it seems not all in the UK share the enthusiasm for ‘Drag Story Hour,’ which began with drag queens in the US in 2015. For an ongoing nation-wide tour of council libraries descended into chaos earlier this week when an event at Reading Borough Council was stormed by protesters. The project is run by Sab Samuel, a 27-year-old autistic male children’s author, who performs as Aida H Dee in a sequined dress with heavy make-up. But the Telegraph reported that the first event on the tour ‘erupted in a dramatic row, as Mr Samuel was given a police escort next to a riot van and demonstrators chanted “paedophile”.’
One unidentified mother, holding a pram and filming the drag queen, was quoted by the Telegraph as shouting in front of the assembled crowd: ‘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.’ Parents cheered as they were escorted out by police officers and security guards. Dozens of uniformed police officers stood guard outside the library, where a group vowed to perform a ‘citizen’s arrest’ of the drag queen. Gulp.
After Reading, the summer tour is visiting council libraries in areas such as Crewe, Bristol, Cornwall, Brighton and Hove, Portsmouth, Leeds, Cardiff, Rochdale, Bolton and Somerset. More protests are planned elsewhere. Will they see similar reaction to that in Reading? Perhaps they ought to invite a few Labour MPs along to be sure of a few friendly faces…
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