Rochdale Council criticised over drag queen book reading postponements

Children excited to attend the event have been "let down", say Drag Queen Story Hour

A council has been accused of "pandering to bullies" after it postponed three drag queen book reading events at its libraries.

Author Aida H Dee, who is known as "The Storytime Drag Queen", was due to read in Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood.

Rochdale Council said it had postponed the shows, which have seen protests in other areas, due to a risk assessment.

Opposition councillor Andy Kelly said the Labour-led council should "stick up for difference".

The Drag Queen Story Hour UK-wide initiative started seven years ago with the aim of inspiring "a love of reading, while teaching deeper lessons on diversity".

Recent events in Norfolk, Reading and Bristol have been disrupted by demonstrators, who have claimed it sexualises children.

'Dozens of messages'

A Drag Queen Story Hour representative said it was "disappointed" it was not consulted before the decision was made.

In a statement, he said the council "have let us down", as well as those children and their families who were "excited to the attend".

He said the organisers were "sympathetic to the council's concerns of potential protesters", but added that many councils and libraries had put on the event despite opposition.

He said the decision to postpone the shows would cause "long lasting damage" to "an already marginalised community", adding: "If these libraries across the country can host [the readings], so can Rochdale."

Blackpool's Central Library will be staging an event on 16 August, he said.

Rochdale-born Norman Evans made his name as Fanny Fairbottom, a housewife who gossiped over the garden wall

Mr Kelly, the leader of Rochdale's Liberal Democrats group, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had received "dozens of messages about this, all from mothers wanting to bring their young children".

"Rochdale is the borough that brought us Norman Evans, arguably the original storytelling drag queen, and we should be proud of diversity and stick up for difference in our borough," he said.

He said if people "don't like drag queens telling stories, don't buy a ticket", adding: "And don't bother buying a ticket for panto at Christmas either."

A Rochdale Borough Council spokeswoman said it was a "strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights" and had held several drag queen story sessions in its libraries through the recent Rochdale in Rainbows programme.

She added that the postponements were "unfortunate", but the authority would discuss alternative options with Aida H Dee.

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