Weeks Memorial Library in Lancaster has canceled a Drag Story Hour scheduled for Sunday, citing a steady drumbeat of harassing phone calls aimed at library staff from opponents of the event.
The event was part of a slate of community events organized by White Mountains Pride, a local LGBTQ group, throughout June. Local organizers said they were disappointed with the library’s last-minute cancellation.
“I would have hoped they would have engaged in a dialogue with us about how we could ensure the safety of all participants,” said Christopher Bellis, president of White Mountains Pride.
Lancaster Police Sergeant Jon Woodworth told NHPR on Friday that his department was “not aware of any threats” to the library at this time. The Weeks Memorial Library Trustees declined a request for comment on Friday. Linda Hutchins, chair of the library’s board, previously told the Caledonian Record that the library had been subjected to repeated harassing phone calls.
“We feared for the safety of our staff, the people putting on the program, the people attending it, and everyone who was planning to be there,” Hutchins told the newspaper.
Bellis said Drag Story Hour events are important “so that those who are younger who may feel different, or out of step with their communities, have an opportunity to be in a positive, affirming environment, where they feel included and accepted.”
Across the country, Drag Story Hours, which often involve drag performers reading age-appropriate books about inclusivity to children, have become targets of some Republican lawmakers and far-right groups. Some GOP-controlled states, including Montana, have sought to outlaw drag story hours at public locations. A federal judge in Tennessee recently ruled that state's recent effort to outlaw certain drag performances violated free speech rights.
In some cases, opponents have accused these events of facilitating “grooming,” a term that describes manipulative behaviors used as a precursor to sexual abuse. Conservatives have wielded the term to attack individuals, events and books that are inclusive of LGBTQ+ people.
Bellis said the story hours’ opponents mischaracterize what the events are about.
"I believe at its core it’s a lack of understanding of the LGBTQ+ community, and each of the different segments,” he said, “because [their] talking points do not in any way reflect what our intent is."
According to the Caledonian Record, the Lancaster drag story hour had been the subject of debate at recent selectboard meetings and an online petition calling for its cancellation.
The library told WMUR it has a “non-discrimination” policy for room rentals, but it will potentially revisit its rules.
“What started out to be a simple thing — the rental of the room — just became so ugly that it's…it’s sad,” Hutchins, the library trustee, told WMUR.
White Mountains Pride is planning two additional Drag Story Hour events later this month at public libraries in Conway and North Conway.
