Proud Boys Protest Drag Queen Story Hour At Montgomery County Park

WHEATON, MD — Members of the far-right group Proud Boys showed up on Saturday at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton to protest an outdoor Drag Queen Story Hour, an event that has been a regular occurrence at the Montgomery County park.

The group of protesters was wearing baseball caps with the Proud Boys logo and carried signs with phrases like “Science Is Real Boy or Girl” and “Groomer” crossed out with a red “X,” Bethesda Beat reported Monday.

Washington Post columnist and deputy editorial page editor Karen Tumulty tweeted Saturday that on her walk that morning, she “happened to come across Proud Boys awaiting the beginning of Drag Queen Story Hour.”

Tumulty told Bethesda Beat that there were about 20 Proud Boys at Brookside Gardens. Drag Queen Story Hour is part of a program in which performers read stories to children in libraries, schools and bookstores.

The Proud Boys are known for disrupting Drag Queen Story Hours in other parts of the country. In June, a man wearing Proud Boys clothing approached a library in Sparks, Nevada, while carrying a gun during a Drag Queen Story Hour event, causing everyone, including children, to run into the library for safety, according to reports.

In February 2021, the Canadian government designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity, citing the role the group played in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in support of former President Donald Trump.

The performer at Saturday’s event in Wheaton, D’Manda Martini, tweeted about the incident. “They followed me to my car, got pics & videos of me & my car and shouted ugly things the whole time as I was being escorted out,” Martini wrote.

“The families that came to listen to stories were absolutely lovely. I hope they truly enjoyed the books that I read today. The organizers did everything they could to keep me as safe as possible,” Martini said.

Kristin Mink, Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Council District 5, said in a tweet Saturday that “today in Montgomery County, homophobic, transphobic bigots traumatized kids & families gathered at Brookside Gardens for Drag Queen Story hour.”

“The bigots kept their faces hidden, shouted awful things” and followed Martini to her car and put sings on her windshield, Mink said.

Montgomery Parks said in a statement to Bethesda Beat that it is “pleased to host Drag Queen Story Hour, an inclusive program to help children understand the world around them in a fun way that uses storytelling and imagination.”

The parks department said each event is staffed with Montgomery Parks’ Park Police to help prevent any incidents.