Washoe County Libraries Cancel Drag Queen Story Hour

This article has been edited to include a comment from Brad Bynum, Washoe County Library spokesperson/Marketing and Communications Assistant.

A press release (see below) from Our Center, an LGBTQIA+ advocacy nonprofit and organizer of the controversial “Drag Queen Story Hour ,” announced that all future drag events in Washoe County public libraries have been canceled due to “violence” from “Right-Wing protestors.”

“The Workplace Violence Committee is recommending the cancelation of the program due to concerns for the safety of library staff over the behavior of a small group of conservative, right-wing protesters who injured a library employee and disturbed parents and children as they entered facilities for the storytimes. Violence is abhorrent and we do not condone behavior which puts our public servants at risk. From our perspective as the program has been canceled, the protesters have been rewarded for their bad behavior,” Our Center stated.

“We stand firm in our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the fundamental rights of every individual,” stated Stacey Spain, Executive Director of Our Center. “The Drag Story Hour program exemplified these values, and it is deeply disappointing that outside influences have necessitated its cancellation. We will continue to explore alternative ways to promote understanding and celebrate diversity in our community.”

Spain (she/they) told The Globe, “I would like to add that we can produce a drag story hour outside of the library. That was the goal of the protestors, but separate is not equal. The LGBT community deserves to be served in public spaces, as any other minority community. We are thinking about moving forward. If separate is not equal, we can make it so by doing these events at the library. We are not condoning the violence and we will not stop.”

The organization is now calling on Washoe County officials to reconsider their stance and take proactive measures to protect future events and attendees.

The county’s unanimous decision was announced in a letter (see below) sent to library staff from Washoe County manager Eric Brown.

“After careful deliberation, the WVC unanimously voted to recommend that Washoe County libraries discontinue hosting DQSH events due to significant concerns for employee safety…Despite ongoing efforts by library staff and volunteers to enhance safety measures, including increased security presence and de-escalation training, the committee concluded that the risks posed to county employees have reached an unacceptable level,” Brown wrote.

According to Bruce Parks, Chairman of the Washoe County GOP, KUNR’s Bert Johnson falsely reported that Brown cited that the Washoe County GOP led the protests. Additionally, The Nevada Independent used the reporter’s false claims in their related coverage.

After a review of Brown’s letter, the following screenshot taken from the KUNR article confirms Parks’ claims of false reporting.

“The press will never miss an opportunity to portray republicans in a bad light. Spain has publicly stated she has no interest in having a dialogue. I would love to sit down with Spain and have a conversation. But, I am pretty sure that is never going to happen,” Chairman Parks told The Globe.

The Globe has reached out to a spokesperson for Washoe County Libraries for comment and information on the alleged violence. We will update the article if and when a response is received.

Update: “The Washoe County Library is committed to continuing to partner with Our Center. We value their organization and their mission. Our Center is a regular stop for our bookmobile, and we will partner with them on future programming. We’re also committed to providing a safe and inclusive space for all members of the Northern Nevada community, including our LGBT+ community members. The county manager’s office made the decision to stop our participation with this specific event, Drag Story Hour, because of threats and violence directed toward members of our staff by a small group of very hostile and aggressive protesters.”–Brad Bynum, Washoe County Library spokesperson/Marketing and Communications Assistant.

Bynum also provided an update on the alleged violence and responded to The Globe’s inquiry if a police report was filed by the injured employee.  His response:

Here’s what North Valleys Library manager Jonnica Bowen said regarding the incident that occurred there during the June 15 Drag Story Hour event:

“We did attempt to file a police report with the City of Reno PD; they came out and interviewed our employee and determined they wouldn’t make a report based on the totality of information they collected. I was not here that day. It was reported to me that they weren’t able to determine fully how the injury happened with the other party involved. I don’t know that they say any video or photos, as the photos were taken by others outside of the North Valleys Library. There was a lot of back and forth on that.We filed all appropriate paperwork for workplace injury with the county and documented it in Omnigo. It was reported the same day as the event/injury occurred.”