There have been numerous protests against drag story hours and the New York City Council members who support them, though not all of them receive media attention.
The anti-LGBTQ campaigners, according to Council Member Shekar Krishnan, have visited his area 11 times in the past six months. Four times at my district office, twice at my home, and four times at the library, and we also held another LGBT event.
On Thursday, Krishnan and Council Members Crystal Hudson and Erik Bottcher met at City Hall to discuss how they had come under attack from far-right hate groups like the Proud Boys.
Harassment And Intimidation
Hudson, a gay man like Bottcher, claimed that the actions were more akin to "harassment and intimidation" for supporting and funding the well-liked initiatives in which drag performers read to children.
It was yelling all kinds of things for hours while ringing my neighbor's bell and asking, "Is she in there, get her out." After breaking into Bottcher's building and spray-painting his house with homophobic graffiti in December, two people were taken into custody.
NYPD Constantly Monitors Every Protest For Citizens' Safty
The protests outside drag story hour events are typically monitored by the NYPD, who have been asked by the politicians to take the matter more seriously.
"These are people who have a track record of using severe violence and white supremacy."
In reference to a widely shared video showing police ushering far-right protestors into a train station without charging them for the price, Krishnan remarked, "And they can't be escorted out with a free pass on the subway.
The decision, according to the department, was made to remove them from a dangerous circumstance. Counter-protesters frequently attend drag performances in an effort to block out any hate speech.
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