Less than a week before the event was to take place, the Madison Heights City Council voted to cancel the appearance of drag queen who was to read books to children as part of the city’s LGBTQ+ Pride event.
But Jadein Black, the drag queen, has another plan.
First, the details: The council voted 4-3 on June 1 to strike drag queen story from the June 7 Arts & Pride festival at the city’s Civic Center Park.
“According to council members who supported the decision, concerns included the appropriateness of the program for children and its potential impact on attendance by some families,” Mayor Corey Haines said in a statement to Fox 2.
Haines voted to cancel the drag queen story time, according to published reports.
Councilmember Toya Aaron, who also voted to cancel the appearance, said in a statement to WXYZ-TV that she did so because she couldn’t guarantee that Black’s story time would be family friendly. “Because the event is advertised as family-friendly, I felt as though it was important to be fully aware and up to date on every aspect of the event so we could be sure the event would be appropriate for every citizen in attendance. Because we were unaware of what the performer had in mind, I decided to vote to pause Drag Queen Story Time for this year.”
She added: “This decision was not made to single out or diminish the LGBTQIA community. … My concern was solely about maintaining consistency and clarity around what is presented at a family‑friendly event, and I would apply the same standard to any programming that raised similar questions.”
But Black, who has worked as a K-12 educator, said the city’s arts board was provided with information on the story time content. Black planned to wear a colorful autism-awareness dress and also planned to read books about acceptance. Among them: Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero, about a drag queen who becomes a hero and learns that both sets of friends ― those familiar with the hero’s drag performances and those who are not — actually get along.
Black said the performance would be child-friendly, free of cuss words, and that it would promote positivity.
As for Sunday, Black still plans to show up at the Madison Heights’ Civic Center Park with a bunch of books as a peaceful protest. If kids want to hear the stories, it’ll be so much the better, Black said.
Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepres.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Madison Heights cancels drag queen story time at its Pride event
Reporting by Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
