A drag story hour at Book Culture in Pittsford brought out dozens of supporters Saturday afternoon who set out to create a “wall of love” around the event.
The event was organized by the nonprofit Pittsford CommUNITY and featured three drag performers, Psy Kodick, Vivian Darling, and Valentino Rose, reading stories to children.
The drag story hour has been a lightning rod of controversy over the past several weeks.
It was originally planned to be held at the town-owned Pittsford Community Center. Town Supervisor Bill Smith lamented at a board meeting last month that he had received several phone calls and messages complaining about the event. But Smith said at a March 21 meeting that no one should do anything to disrupt the event, as it would “grant victim status to a group of people who are desperate to seek it and trying to get it through this event.”
The town later tried to charge the organizers $8,500 in security fees for the event, but relented after backlash from the community, legislators, and the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Before the fee waiver, Pittsford CommUNITY had decided to move Saturday’s event to the bookstore and kept those plans despite the town’s turnabout.
Despite the bluster, only four people showed up to protest the event — a man and two children proselytizing with Bible verses, and a man with a bullhorn who frequently attends local protests.
Supporters of the event, meanwhile, held up umbrellas and foam boards to guard the front of the bookstore from protesters. Pamela Dayton was one of the organizers of the so-called “wall of love.”
“What kills me is, they (the protesters) are saying that trans people and gay people are ‘grooming’ kids,” Dayton said. “What events like this are grooming kids to do is be lifelong readers, and to be lifelong people who search for education and learning new things.”
The word “grooming” is a term used to describe the emotional manipulation that pedophiles use to abuse children. However, right-wing circles in recent years have co-opted the term to refer to anyone who attempts to educate or bring awareness of LGBTQ issues to children.
Pittsford Town Board member Cathy Koshykar brought her 7-year-old daughter, Laine, to the drag story hour. She said it was a choice that came with some amount of anxiety.
“I was afraid of violence, I’ll be honest,” Koshykar said. “I’ve seen some videos on social media, I’ve seen some posts that were targeting people I know, people who are organizing this event. It made me nervous.”
Village of Pittsford Mayor Alysa Plummer showed up Saturday to support the event, saying she was disappointed in the backlash it had received. Plummer, who said she’s been to many drag events over the years, was happy to see the number of people who came out to support.
“I think we, by and large, have a wonderful, welcoming, and inclusive community, particularly in our village,” Plummer said.
The next drag story hour in Pittsford is slated for Sunday, April 23, at the Pittsford Community Center.
