Reno’s far-right tyranny purveyors were dancing in the streets last week after it was revealed that Washoe County officials ended Drag Queen Story Hour events. First reported by Reno Public Radio, Washoe County Manager Eric Brown made the decision – based on risk to employees – to end drag story events.
Drew Ribar, a candidate for the Nevada State Legislature – whose name was left off sample ballots, something he’s suing over – was documented to have attempted to infiltrate a drag story hour event while recording video. The event was closed to everyone not there with a child wanting to attend.
Ribar is alleged to have tried to push his way into the library’s front door, which was being held by an employee, who said they were bruised during the encounter. Library staff attempted to file a police report, but RPD would not make an arrest due to what they said was a lack of clear evidence.
RPD was already on the scene to enforce trespass orders against two of the “First Amendment auditors” – far-right protesters banned from the library. Ribar is under a one-year ban, along with Fred Myer, a local realtor and longtime musician with the Whitney Myer band. Myer was not one of the auditors that had been trespassed, but he was banned from the library, allegedly for harassing library staff.
“Despite ongoing efforts by library staff and volunteers to enhance safety measures, including increased security presence and de-escalation training, the [Washoe County Workplace Violence Committee] concluded the risks posed to County employees have reached an unacceptable level,” Washoe County Manager Eric Brown wrote on July 24.
The single incident effectively shut the whole thing down, and the ACLU is looking into the matter. A small, angry contingent of far-right election deniers, conspiracy theorists, Christofascists and other disruptors of local government meetings have been demanding the end of drag events for several years.
Drag queen Ginger Devine, aka Chris Daniels, reads at the events. “The event is not unsafe. Those who disagree with the event are unsafe, and their violence was rewarded,” Devine said. “Where is the accountability that for six years these folks had a platform to spew vulgar, vitriolic lies and propaganda?”
“The county manager’s office made the decision to stop our participation with this specific event, Drag Story Hour, because of threats and violence directed toward members of our staff by a small group of very hostile and aggressive protesters,” library spokesperson Brad Bynum said.
The subtext, of course, is that folks can get their way if they are pushy and belligerent enough. It doesn’t matter if their beliefs are representative of the community – they are not – but extremists, by definition, don’t need to be right to get their way.
They just have to be zealous. Perhaps, now, they will leave library staff alone so the employees can get back to work under some semblance of normality – if there’s a silver lining to this fabricated mess.
We won’t be holding our breath. They are still trying to ban books, after all.
– Kristen Hackbarth & Bob Conrad
