An Adelaide library is going ahead with a controversial school holidays “drag queen story hour” event aimed at children despite more than 100 complaints from angry parents and a rally outside the venue by protesters who vowed to return on the day.
Salisbury Council admitted last week that it had received 114 complaints over the “Rainbow Storytime” event set to be held at the Salisbury Community Hub Library at 10am on Monday July 15, hosted by a crossdressing man who goes by the stage name Fifi LaDouche.
The male performer, who has a photo of himself on his Facebook page standing next to a naked man in high heels holding his genitals in a homosexual nightclub, is scheduled to read two children’s books at the event – Chicken Divas and Just the Way We Are.
Chicken Divas attempts to normalise crossdressing in its portrayal of two chickens in “drag”, while Just the Way We Are is a far-left propaganda book about children in “diverse” multi-racial and homosexual households.
A council spokesperson said in response that the event was a “one-off” and was intended to “promote diversity”.
“Fifi is simply reading books to attendees, there is not a drag performance as part of the event,” she told The Advertiser.
But one disgruntled local told the publication: “Fifi LaDouche is openly an adult performer whose drag shows are described by LGBTIQA+ organisations as containing innuendo and vibrating toys.
“Even if this performance has no explicit sexual adult content, it is without question that children are likely to perform web searches and social media searches of the host Fifi La Douche.”
There were also protests on Friday outside the library where a large group gathered with signs saying “hands off our children” and “Stop council run drag queens sexualising children” and “hey, groomer, leave the kids alone”.
The protesters said they will be back outside the library at 9am on Monday if the event goes ahead.
One Nation South Australian Legislative Council member Sarah Game wrote to local ministers last month with concerns about the event and its funding, and said this week she believes it is “totally inappropriate for young children” to be encouraged to question their “gender identity and gender fluidity”.
“There’s a growing concern in the community about teaching children about gender fluidity because we don’t really understand the impact that has on young minds,” Ms Game said.
“They’re adult concepts and it’s confusing for children. I think we just need to allow children to be children, and let them grow up and be who they are without these other influences.”
The event comes after a homosexual film night marketed at children as young as 12 sparked outrage in the town of Albury, on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, last month, and led to a large protest by a right-wing activist group.
A similar drag queen story hour event organised for February by the ABC in Sydney was also cancelled after a massive backlash.
