Protest planned at Drag Queen Story Time in Winston-Salem latest in string of protests against pride events nationwide

Pride Month commemorates the riots held 52 years ago at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, an event often recognized as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ movement.

by: Emily Mikkelsen

Posted: Jun 17, 2022 / 12:17 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 17, 2022 / 12:29 PM EDT

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — An event for children is at the center of a planned protest in Winston-Salem, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.

According to the Journal, the Forsyth County Republican Men’s Club will protest a drag queen story time held by Bookmarks in Winston-Salem.

Drag queen Anna Yacht will be leading story time at Bookmarks on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The event is free and geared towards kids between 3 and 7. Winston-Salem’s Pride parade will happen at 11 a.m.

This is the latest in the increasing number of protests against Pride events, with radical nationalist groups often seen at the forefront.

In Texas, protesters disrupted a family-friendly drag show, some heard on camera asking cops to shoot attendees. In Los Angeles, a Drag Queen Story Time event was interrupted by Proud Boys, and nearly three dozen white supremacists were arrested near a pride event in Idaho with a U-Haul packed full of weapons.

Locally, Apex nearly had to cancel Drag Queen Story Time during their pride event due to threats, but EqualityNC stepped in, sponsoring the event so it could continue.

2022’s Pride season has been targeted by multiple protests. Multiple states are passing anti-trans legislation. Hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are on the rise. In North Carolina, the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” passed through the senate, similar to a bill passed in Florida that was dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, though it may not go much farther.