Kids Walk Hate Speech Gauntlet Into UES Drag Story Hour, Pol Asks Why

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The NYPD's decision to place hate speech-spewing protesters near an Upper East Side library entrance as kids gathered for a Drag Story Hour has spurred local outrage and at least one local elected official to investigate.

Kids were treated to a cacophony of "pedophile" and "groomer" — both words recognized as anti-LGBTQ+ slurs by the Human Rights Campaign — as they entered the 96th Street Library on Wednesday, according to officials and reports.

Images taken by independent journalist Talia Jane show the NYPD created fenced-off protest area that forced kids to funnel through the group of adults, yelling curses and epithets in an anti-Drag Story Hour protest.

"The f--- is wrong with you?" one protester screams.

Wednesday's set-up spurred outrage among elected officials, among them Upper East Side Council Member Julie Menin, who vowed to speak to 19th Precinct officials about where the protesters were positioned.

"Children and families should not be forced to be accosted by such vile and vitriolic hatred as they enter and exit the library," Menin said.

Police responded to Patch's request for more information with an email from a spokesperson who said the department defends the right to protest.

"The NYPD works to ensure public safety for every New Yorker exercising their First Amendment rights," the spokesperson said.

Despite protests outside, the story hour continued as scheduled, the New York Public Library told Patch.

"The Library is committed to offering programs like Drag Story Hour that are popular with patrons and support inclusive voices," a spokesperson said.

The library has also been working with the NYPD to develop safety protocols in light of the recent protests, the spokesperson noted.

This was the second time this year the protesters appeared outside the Upper East Side library to shout various conspiracy theories about vaccines and claims that President Joesph Biden sexually abuses children, the Upper East Site reports.

Counter-protesters in support of the library were also in attendance, and Council Member Keith Powers took to Twitter to condemn the story hour protesters.

Hope everyone is safe today from another ridiculous protest on the UES.

If you’re thinking about spending your day protesting a free, voluntary children’s event at a public library: maybe stop and take a long hard look at yourself. https://t.co/LhdHszVIEz
— Keith Powers (@KeithPowersNYC) February 1, 2023

Talia Jane — who reports on extremist activity in New York City and live Tweeted the East 96th Street protest — believes this was the same group that has participated a protest that ended with a group vandalizing the home of a city Council member and assaulting a neighbor, the independent journalist told Patch.

Jane also questioned the NYPD's decision to position the crowd by a library entrance used for strollers, and asked if officers were concerned about the protesters filming children.

"I was told by several NYPD that ‘everyone has the right to film,’" Jane said in a statement to Patch, "apparently misunderstanding the difference between filming and screaming derogatory rhetoric in someone’s face who has no choice but to walk directly toward you,"

Jane says that part of the group's goals is to "provoking a sizable police response makes it harder for people to enter the library and that their antics work to scare people away.

"The NYPD, however, can’t seem to grasp that this is a group of highly volatile far right agitators who collaborate with known extremist groups (ie Proud Boys) who genuinely believe harassing these spaces is morally just because they are doing so for a cause they think is true, but is not."

According to reports, nearby residents weren't pleased to see the demonstrators.

Counter protestors held signs saying "drag the hate away" according to Upper East Site.

Jane reported that people walking by yelled insults at the anti-drag protesters, including a neighbor who yelled from her window "libraries are for everyone," video posted to Twitter shows.

Teenage fans of Drag Story Hour said they love the events as they walked by the library.

Another Upper East Sider held up a sign that said "boycott Florida," and told Jane: "I'm tired of them calling us [queer people] pedophiles. I’m tired of the hate. I felt like I had to do something, so I came here."

One video Jane took features a high-pitched voice of a child, shouting energetically at the protesters from the window of a passing black SUV: "libraries are for everyone."