A Houston ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ has been shut down after a group of parents and pro-family activists discovered the event included a convicted child molester.
Houston city officials were forced to apologise and end the program which initially had the backing of library officials, prominent politicians, and the Mayor.
MassResistance, a pro-family activist group, made the explosive revelation last month during a press conference outside Houston’s Freed-Montrose Public Library.
According to the group, Alberto Garza, known in drag as Tatiana Mala-Niña, was convicted in 2008 for sexually assaulting and 8-year-old boy. The library had failed to run a background check on the 32-year-old, despite requirements to do so.
Tracy Shannon, co-leader of Houston MassResistance told reporters: “If they had done their job and due diligence, they might have said wait – maybe it’s not a good idea to have a sex offender who at 200 pounds and 5-foot-11 assaulted an 8-year-old boy.”
According to MassResistance, initial concerns about the event were dismissed at a Houston City Council meeting when Mike Laster, an openly gay City Council member, mockingly asked Mrs Shannon, “What are you afraid of?”
The pro-family group said they had warned city officials for months to abandon the program, but received only derision in response.
“Many of these Drag Queens are profane ‘adult entertainers’ by profession and appear to lead dysfunctional lives consumed by unhealthy sex practices,” MassResistance said in a release last month.
“They are not ashamed of it; they include it in their social media, videos, advertisements, etc. But they want it ignored when they’re part of Drag Queen Story Hour. Are these the kinds of people public officials should be choosing to read to children in a library? These men are not good ‘role models’ for anyone,” they said.
The group went on to call the ending of the ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ program a “big victory for our people.”
“It’s probably the biggest defeat for Drag Queen Story Hour so far. This is the new age of pro-family activism,” they added.
