Tucson Standard

Arizona State Sen. Justine Wadsack (R-17) recently commended Tucson parents and organizations that protested a July 16 event at Bookman's in Tucson at which drag queens read to children. The event, held in Catalina Foothills, had been postponed and rescheduled several times because of the continued protests throughout the year.

"I’m so proud of Tucson Parents standing up for the safety and innocence of children from sexual groomers!" Wadsack wrote in a July 16 Twitter post.

“The line wrapped all the way around the corner!” tweeted Rachel Hope, the chairwoman of the East Valley Young Republicans. “It’s clear Tucson parents are NOT on board with sexualizing children.”

The event was held at Bookmans, an entertainment and bookstore company located in Arizona. The store had drag queen story hours planned for March 2023 but postponed the event, citing safety concerns. Protests were being planned by local churches and parent groups. Bookmans held the event on July 16, offering seats by registration only to children and families of all ages.

The event was put on by Drag Story Hour AZ, a statewide organization that started in 2019 and continues to offer such events around the state. The organization's website says that its mission is to bring more inclusivity and literacy opportunities to students and families.

The books listed by the organization as the ones being read in these Drag Story Hours are “My Shadow Is Pink” and “My Shadow Is Purple” by Scott Stuart, “Mixed: A Colorful Story” by Arree Chung and “The Rainbow Parade” by Emily Neilson. The last is a story about a young girl who attends a pride parade with her two mothers.

The protest was organized by the Bridge Church in Tucson, a nondenominational church that was started in 1992 and has two locations in the area. The church supports organizations like the Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, the American Family Association, Hands of Hope, a reproductive clinic and services provider in Tucson, and the Gospel Rescue Mission in Tucson.

“Thank you to @TheBridgeTucson for inviting us to join you in protesting Bookman's "drag queen story hour" for kids,” the Pima County Republican Party tweeted. “Children DO NOT need to be sexualized, they need to be protected.”