AIF-Massachusetts · @AIF_Massachusetts
357 followers · 688 posts · Server kolektiva.social
AIF-Massachusetts · @AIF_Massachusetts
242 followers · 245 posts · Server kolektiva.social

Copying here the statement from on the events of December 10 in :

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RE: Nazi Hate Groups at Fall River Drag Story Hour

In a shocking display of hatred, actual Nazi group NSC-131 (listed as a hate group by the ADL) showed up to the Fall River Pride Committee's Drag Story Hour on Saturday December 10th. Our reader for this month was the Gothfather and the books we read were: Santa's Husband; Beautiful, Night before Hanukkah; and Why Johnny Doesn't Flap: NT is okay! We had Christmas ornaments for the children to decorate and take home. We had around 25 people (adults and children) attend the story time, most of which were families. Unfortunately, more than 20 NSC-131 protesters held a large sign that claimed "All Drag Queens are Pedophiles". The NSC-131 group was also joined by another dozen members of the Proud Boys/Super Happy Fun America who held signs reading "This library perverts kids" and "Stop sexual indoctrination of children".

These protesters screamed multiple obscenities including "F*ggot F*ggot F*ggot", "Nazism is the Way", and "Go Kill Yourselves". They pushed parents and children who were simply trying to attend story time, at one point directly screaming at a mother that she "needed a man". They repeatedly harassed a Jewish member of the Pride Committee because they wore a yarmulke. They screamed directly in the face of the President of the Pride Committee "fat f*ggot tranny pedophile" as they parked their car.

This kind of hatred is inexcusable. This kind of hatred incites violence. This kind of hatred has no place in the 21 century. An entire World War was fought to extinguish this kind of genocidal ideology. The silence from Fall River City Officials has been deafening to say the least. The attitude of the FRPD was flippant at best. They ignored the direct threats these groups made in some bizarre defense of 1st Amendment rights. 1st Amendment rights do not and should not allow for direct calls to violence... which is exactly what happened here. At our last Drag Story Time on November 5th, the Fall River Police Department was called and when they arrived they said to everyone (Proud Boys and De-escalators/Pride Committee Members) that they needed to get off the sidewalk or they would be arrested. This time on December 10th the FRPD was there and seemed to standby and allow these Nazi groups to say and do what they wanted.

LGBTQ people exist, LGBTQ kids exist, and we will not be shamed back into the closet because fearful bigots want to exterminate us. We stand by the books we read, we stand by our drag performers, we stand by the parents who support us, and we stand by the library who welcomed us with open arms. We stand together as a community because this fear and hatred cannot go on unchecked.

Luckily, we are not in this alone. We had support from local de-escalators groups such as SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) and DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). We also had members of our Pride Committee and the local faith community, including Father James from the local Episcopal Congregation.

We also wanted to include statements from those who actually attended Drag Story Time.

Those include: "I enjoy attending drag story time with my little one because I believe that children should be taught love, acceptance and diversity. It is important to let our children know that no matter what they are loved. They should feel safe to be their true authentic selves." - Colleen DaCosta

"We attend drag time story time as a family because teaching our children about different beliefs, ways of being, and cultures teaches them about acceptance and love not only for peers but themselves." -Samantha DaCosta

Drag Story Time is NOT what it has presented in extremist news reporting. The VAST majority of story times simply feature a performer who reads stories of love, inclusion, and acceptance. Drag Story Time is NOT what you would see at a bar at 1am. Those are completely different contexts. Mainstream American audiences have been being entertained by drag for decades including on popular TV show MASH, Robin Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire, multiple Tyler Perry Madea movies, and even Bugs Bunny. The outrage today is completely manufactured by a false narrative that LGBTQ people "prey" on children. It was screamed loudly into our faces that "trans ideology" is "recruiting" and "grooming" children. In reality, we are being the adults that we queer kids needed when we were young. We cannot stress how much representation matters. We cannot stress enough that we are here to put the safety of queer kids over the mild discomfort of cisgender heterosexual adults.

There is so much education that needs to happen here. We are here to discuss, debate, and deliberate the best ways to educate youth regarding sensitive topics of gender, sex, relationships, and identity. What we will not tolerate is our erasure and demonization at the hands of those who hold actually abhorrent beliefs that have triggered world wars.

We will not be silenced. We will not be shamed. And we will not back down.

(The original release can be found here on Twitter: twitter.com/frprideco/status/1602435172695265280)

#FallRiverPride #fallriverma #massachusetts

Last updated 2 years ago