The national tour of Drag Queen Story Hour UK is coming to Bristol libraries today, following controversy in Reading earlier this week. Attending six libraries across two days in the city (July 28/29), it will see the Storytime Drag Queen, Aida H Dee, reading stories with the aim of 'engaging children's creativity and love for reading by giving them a brand-new, positive experience, one page at a time, all the while learning and communicating'.
Aida H Dee describes themselves as an ADHD and autistic 27 year old, who has been patron of Autistic Inclusive Meets London for over two years. She is a published author of two children's books, has appeared as an official act for The British Museum during The Queen's Jubilee, has a five star Edinburgh Fringe act, has been featured on Forbes Magazine for being an activist for neurodivergence, and has recently been shortlisted as Local Leader Of The Year 2022 by PinkNews for the nationally acclaimed PinkNews Awards.
What's more, in 2020 she was nominated as runner-up Achiever Of The Year by GeniusWithinCIC, and has already performed close to 100 Story Hours to hundreds of children in recent months. And Bristol is a location on the tour very close to her heart.
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"I came out as gay in Bristol 10 years ago," she said. "I lived in Bristol and went to school in Bristol, specifically St Brendan's Catholic College!
"So I'm excited to return to a city I once called home and perform my books to children there."
However, earlier this week at an event at Reading Central Library on Monday (July 25), Drag Queen Story Hour UK was stormed by protesters shouting slurs and gathering with placards and megaphones outside. Aida, who is reportedly the first drag artist in Europe to read stories to children in a nursery, was interrupted by two women on the library's third floor who, organisers said, had "gained access to the story hour by using their own disabled autistic child as a 'human trojan horse'.
Drag Queen Story Hour UK organisers went on to say: "The police removed these people after they had successfully made a few children scared and a mother sob. The drag queen, after finishing the story hour, then had to be escorted out of the library by the police to the next story hour show in Tilehurst Library.
"The police had to use themselves as human wall to prevent assault. The protesters threatened to perform a "citizen's arrest", as heard in a video recorded by one the leaders of the protesting group."
Aida H Dee said: "I find it concerning that these parent groups choose to sexualise situations that are not at all sexual. There is absolutely no sexual language during any of these shows nor are children exposed to sexual situations.
"What is confusing is that these groups are attempting to create a sexual focus here where none exists by drawing attention to sex and sexuality. These stories celebrate the diversity found among human beings, and the delivery of these stories is a celebration of communities who have been historically marginalised and have historically had their voices silenced.
"To attempt to silence their voices here as well is regressive and to claim a person's sole existence as sexual is insulting."
Bristol Live has approached Bristol City Council for comment regarding the upcoming events in Bristol.
Where you can attend a Drag Queen Story Hour UK reading in Bristol
Thursday, July 28
- Henleaze Library at 11am
- Hillfields Library at 1pm
- Stockwood Library at 3pm
Friday, July 29
- Filwood Library at 10am
- Henbury Library at 12:30pm
- Junction 3 Library at 2:30pm
You can find a full list of national dates here.
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